


Rot, Another One Bites the Dust

by chinesefirethorn, lucklessmallory



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Blood and Gore, F/M, Horror, M/M, Multi, Multiple Pairings, people die orz
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-05
Updated: 2015-11-29
Packaged: 2017-12-14 00:30:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 19
Words: 135,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/830624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chinesefirethorn/pseuds/chinesefirethorn, https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucklessmallory/pseuds/lucklessmallory
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Panic spreads across the desert city of Suna as the first outbreak hits the streets. Caught in the city's commercial district, Lee and Tenten have to rely on guts, determination and the sheer survival skills of a man who says kill or be killed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"According to correspondence between members of the Center for Disease Control, the symptoms of the virus first appeared without explanation late last night at a local hospital. Patients suffer from severely advanced flu symptoms, which progress at an alarming rate, leading to death, most often in less than an hour." Tenten's serious expression never wavered as she held the station's microphone and addressed the camera on Lee's shoulder, though her eyes flickered briefly behind her in caution. They were on the street for the moment, after attempting to tail a CDC member for investigative reporting, with hopes of a statement for the public. It was mid afternoon now, but the city streets were remarkably sparse of people, with only a few groups rushing to and fro as they tried to contact loved ones or find out what was happening. Lee held the camera steady with practice, and double checked with a brief glance that the equipment was in working order. This was an epidemic in the making, and it was their duty to report at ground zero.

"The most bizarre effect of the virus seems to be a prolonging of the body's movement after the heart has stopped beating. If you see somebody who is sick or injured, often sweaty or pale in complexion, and with accelerated respiration and fever, _do not approach them_. This person is most likely infected with the virus, and either near death or attempting to infect others after death has already occurred."

There was a sudden scream from up the block, catching Lee's attention and Tenten's. They nodded to each other, and Lee turned the camera to the other side of the street as they walked quickly to the spot. At the edge of the sidewalk a woman was kneeling, holding the limp figure of a man in her arms with horror. The man's eyes were glazed, his skin pale, glistening, and he wasn't moving. Lee stopped several feet away and kept the camera centered on the couple while Tenten stepped into the camera's field of view.

"Ma'am, is he dead? I know this hurts, but you need to step away from him." She put out her hands as if she wanted to help, but still stayed cautiously out of reach. "You need to come with us and step away from him right now."

The woman wasn't listening, rocking back and forth with her eyes squeezed tightly shut. She was in shock, or having some sort of meltdown. On the ground, the man's limp hand suddenly twitched, and his eyes widened eerily. Tenten called out in alarm, but could only scramble backward as the man's lifeless body rose to wrap around the woman. The dead man's teeth sank into the flesh of her neck, like a lover's kiss from hell, lurching on top of her and tearing at her throat until the screaming stopped. Lee was already running backwards, keeping the two in the camera shot for as long as possible before Tenten shouted at him, and they continued to run.

* * *

The iron clubhead swung in a beautiful arc against the flickering computer screens and smashed against the skull of Kazekage Industries' junior executive. Said executive gurgled as the left side of his face burst open in a shower of blood and his shredded legs finally collapsed under him. Tapping the golf club on the floor, Gaara stabbed the man's twitching body with the broken leg of a table with regret. He preferred the man undead than alive, and dying by your own golf club was a grisly end.

Beside him, the elevator's screen flashed two floors below him. He'd already missed the ride down, but there was hope in the heavy white emergency door pressing against his back.

Everywhere inside Kazekage Industries, he could hear the screams of men and women who hadn't been able to get out of the building in time when the outbreak hit. They were right smack in the middle of the city's commercial district, practically rubbing elbows with competitors, mega corporations and the companies that kept the city's tills full. But all the high-tech security hadn't been able to keep out the undead from breaking glass doors to get in, or for manifestations of the sickness to appear within the offices.

People were turning into zombies, flesheaters, the undead, walkers and revenants.

Gaara accepted this the moment he saw a man collapse in the middle of a meeting, only to lunge at his seatmate and bit off a chunk of her shoulder. With the Sabaku patriarch and chairman of Kazekage Industries out of the country, and no word from Gaara's siblings in the floors above him, the redhead was alone. He raised the club again and jabbed the handle against his father's secretary, causing her to stagger and roll her dull eyes as she knocked into another corpse behind her.

Finally gaining some space, he pressed hard against the emergency door's metal bar and managed to get out half-way before his previous officemate's groping hands found the edge of his sleeve. Tensing his arms to stop the trembling, he jabbed the golf head into the dead woman's mouth and pushed her back as he forced his body through the door.

Eyes wide and panting, Gaara gripped the club in his hand tightly as the emergency door clicked shut, leaving him in the stairwell. He could hear the echo of screams above and below, running footsteps, cars honking in the street outside, and the roar of technology bursting into flame. He'd always known that the apocalypse would come one day. But this was far from the exciting adventure he'd thought it would be.

* * *

Lee was panting hard and wincing from the stitch in his side, but he never faltered in his run. Tenten kept up easily next to him, darting around obstacles lying in the street with narrowed eyes. They were both in good shape, but this flight for life situation they were in was a lot more shock to the system than they'd bargained for. Lee was still carrying the heavy station camera under his arm, unwilling to abandon it under any circumstances. He leaped over a blue mail deposit box that had been tipped on its side, and weaved a wide arc around a car that had crashed into a storefront. There were people on the ground through the street, some wounded and some already turned. Dead hands reached for Tenten as she ran between two shambling monsters, but she was already past them before they could touch her.

"Lee!" she huffed loudly, sweat pouring down her temple as they rounded a corner to another street. They could hear moans and occasional screaming behind them, and knew they couldn't stop yet. "We need to get off the street _now_ , I'm so exhausted! I don't know how much longer we can run."

Lee nodded and darted ahead of her, taking the lead with a determined hardness in his eyes. "This way!" Halfway down another street, Lee took a sharp turn and darted down an alley that seemed deserted.

His dash through the alleyway was cut short when a redhead with wild eyes leaped in front of him from a corner and brought a mean looking putter slashing down inches from Lee's feet.

Gaara wasn't letting anything sneak up on him! Swinging the putt back, he lunged at the tall man again; his adrenaline too high for him to realize that his victim didn't have the ashen look of the undead. Blood splatters covered his disheveled polo and slacks with his work jacket lost to zombies on the way, and his hair was a mess with sweat melting his hair wax.

"Stop! We're not infected!" Tenten cried, coming to a stop and bending down to rest her hands on aching knees. Her chest heaved as she tried to grab hold of Gaara's arm.

Lee yelped loudly and leaped back, waving his free arm as he tried to stay on his feet. He grabbed Tenten's arm and yanked her back in case the stranger tried to swing again. He threw a frantic look over his shoulders, but the undead seemed to have been left in the dust for now. Lee's lungs heaved as he eyed the redhead's blood spattered clothes and his weapon. It was obvious that he was alive, judging by the expression on his face and the way he moved.

"We're not infected. Who are you?" Lee pulled Tenten behind him by the arm, not letting go even as she huffed at him in protest and tried to stand on her own. "Are you sick? Put the weapon away, no one needs to get hurt."

Eyes darting between the man and woman, Gaara's grip didn't waver on the putt while he took the time to breathe. "No." He grit his teeth and exhaled in a hiss upon realizing that they weren't attacking. Neither of them looked sick, or dangerous, and if they'd been looters, they'd have something else on their hands other than a bulky video camera. A moan rose up from behind him. Gaara didn't even think before he spun around and smashed his putt against the corpse's side, knocking it against the wall and kicking at it's stomach to pull back his makeshift weapon. He ignored the slight trembling of his lips from speaking. He hadn't spoken a word since he made it out of the office building, ignoring other survivors in trouble and hacking his way through the horde. Glancing back at the two, he pressed his lips tight. "There aren't any rescue centers nearby. The phone lines are all tied up, and most of the roads are blocked. You'd better find a weapon if you want to survive." He said, distracted for a moment as he listened to the distant screams of survivors in the direction the two had been running away from. So it wasn't safe that way either.

Eyes sliding back towards the two, he slid his putt back in the golf bag on his back and turned to head down another path in the alleys.

Tenten broke away from Lee's hold to snatch at the redhead's sleeve. "Wait! We have a better chance of surviving if we stick together." She ignored the heavy weight in her stomach at seeing someone callously kill another, no matter if the latter was already dead.

Lee swallowed thickly, struggling with a lump in his throat as his eyes darted between the dead man on the pavement and Tenten with the redhead. He couldn't help his flinch reflex and the recoiling in his gut when he'd seen the man smash the golf club against the moaning dead body. His hands were shaking, but he stepped up beside his friend and nodded at the stranger. "Please let us come with you. We can help each other, and it would be best for us to stay together in case rescue manages to find us. As soon as we are able to find some place safe, my friend and I are going to try contacting people outside the city and sending our footage."

Lee hesitated, then unzipped his hip pouch and reached inside. It was mostly full of camera batteries and maintenance, but what he pulled out was a small hand gun. He only carried it for protection when he and Tenten reported in dangerous places, but he knew how to use it. "I think this is a better weapon than a golf club, even if I don't have many bullets. We can help each other."

"A gun's useless if you can't shoot them in the head." Gaara said, frowning at the woman's hold on his sleeve. He knew he could leave the two here and make it out alive on his own, but a small group would also be much more effective in a crowd of the undead. The gun would also come in handy if the threat came from the living. Turning around, he tugged Tenten's hand away from his sleeve and nodded quickly. "Fine, but we need to move fast. I'm heading home first for supplies. There's a mall across the block and a hardware store on the same street."

"Okay. Thank you." Tenten said in relief, trembling slightly at the blood on her hand from Gaara's sleeve.

Lee put the gun back in his pouch and zipped it up quickly, then followed after the redhead as they worked their way down the alley. Lee put a hand on Tenten's shoulder, squeezing gently to reassure his friend. She jumped slightly and looked at him with wide eyes, but he knew that having each other for support during this outbreak helped. She took a deep breath and hurried her steps.

Lee and Tenten followed close after Gaara, trusting that he knew the way to his home. They passed several small crowds, most of whom were panicking or already dead. There was an incident when a woman stumbled across their path, clearly alive and trying to stay that way. Lee was about to pull her along with their improvised group, when he noticed the deep bite wounds across her forearms and knew it was too late.

"Are we close to the hardware store you mentioned?" It was hard for Lee to speak while he was panting so hard. He wiped the sweat from his temple, then gasped and kicked a zombie that surprised him by appearing from behind a parked car. His foot landed in its chest, kicking it onto its back. His eyes widened as it immediately rolled over and crawled back onto its stiff limbs. Lee ran after Tenten and the redhead with an increasingly familiar panic in his chest.

Taking the man's cue, Gaara turned around and simultaneously reached back for a club. There must be something about the corpse's moans that called to its kind, because he knew from recent experience that ignoring one coming after you, only drew more walkers. Moving opposite of the other man, he struck the zombie on the neck, breaking its spine and severing a chunk of its veins. Without the connection to its brain, the zombie fell over and twitched weakly on the ground. "Yes. So is home," he said, taking in a harsh breath.

The richest residential area in the city had the least amount of zombies on the streets, though Gaara could see the mass of walkers down the road near the intersection. The only reason they weren't shambling and shuffling towards them was the steep slope of the street, naturally leading them downhill.

While unassuming at first glance, the rows of low-level houses were well maintained and built with the best security offered on the market. They were the homes of well-off families that downsized out of preference rather than need; that preferred practicality and a low mortgage over a sprawling mansion.

"Head for the double doors." He snapped, running back towards his two companions and on towards the small apartment building.

Once they were in, Gaara locked the doors behind them and briskly did a sweep of his family's apartment. The first floor kitchen and living room didn't look like anyone had been inside, and a run up the stairs to his siblings' units confirmed that they weren't here either.

"Lee," Tenten murmured to her friend as she collapsed on the living room sofa. "How's the footage? Is it still intact?" She wiped the sweat from her face and took out her phone, sighing when there were only two bars left of its battery life. "We need to send that in and let our families know we're still alive."

"Yeah, I know." Lee knelt down on one knee in the middle of the living room, setting down the camera as he caught his breath. The stitch in his side felt like a knife digging between his ribs, but he knew that it had been right to run through the pain. Dawdling would have killed him. "I do not think the camera or the footage was damaged. I tried to be careful."

Settling onto his other knee, Lee rolled the camera carefully in his hands, inspecting it with concentration in his round eyes. He opened a panel on the side and sighed with relief when the small disk popped out undamaged. "It is okay." He looked up and frowned pensively. "What do we do now?"

"Change into something more comfortable." Gaara replied, walking down the stairs with a frown. His face was pale, haunted as he checked the first floor for any breaks. His family and the neighborhood they lived in had all been rich enough to value and keep their privacy, even from each other. The first floor had few windows, and none that faced the street. They'd have to board up the place tonight if they were staying.

"Tomorrow, we'll make a run to the hardware store for weapons and things to fortify the building. This is a safe place to stay until we know more about what's happening." He tested the faucet and sighed when clean water still spurted out. Slowly lowering the bag of clubs, he rolled his shoulders and stared blankly at the two. All the adrenaline he'd had from escaping from the office to making his way home was zapped from his body with the familiar surroundings.

Tenten looked worriedly at the redhead. Without a weapon in his hand, he looked younger than he'd first appeared. "We're really grateful that you let us come with you." She glanced at Lee before sitting up and mustering a smile. "I'm Tenten, a reporter for the Konoha Broadcast Network. This is my partner and cameraman, Lee."

"We are really grateful for your help." Lee got back to his feet, grunting slightly from the ache in his legs. He stepped up to the redhead and held out his hand for a shake. He tilted his head, noticing the redhead's youth in the same angle Tenten had. He looked pale and weak for someone who could beat zombies with a golf club until they _really_ died. "If we had not met you, Tenten and I would probably still be out there. If you need anything, just ask and I will try to return the favor."

Gaara frowned at the outstretched hand before shaking his head minutely. This wasn't the time to space out. Spacing out would get him killed, even if he felt like heaving everything he'd eaten that day. "Gaara Sabaku." He said, clasping Lee's hand briefly and brushing past him. "We're not safe yet. Push everything you can find to block the windows. We need a barricade around the doors but one that won't keep them from opening or closing." He began to push the dining table against the window, piling nearby furniture on top.

Getting to her feet, Tenten winced at her aching calves but began to help with blocking the other windows. The horrors she'd seen that day kept rushing to choke her thoughts even when she tried to think of other things. "This feels like a bad joke." She said, gazing out the window. The streets were littered with abandoned cars and dead bodies sprawled on the pavement. Those that got back up joined the few moaning zombies that shambled down the slope. "All those movies, books and games about zombies...it's happening now. I can't even come up with another explanation. "

"Yeah..." Lee swallowed and stepped up beside his friend, looking over her shoulder out the window. His gut twisted and he had to swallow to keep his gag reflex under control. "I feel the same way. I am just glad that we survived together, you know? This is one of the greatest trials of our youth, and it is good that we combine our dedication and hard work for survival. When we finish the barricades, we can call our families and make sure they are alright."

Lee put an arm around Tenten's shoulders, gently pulling her side against his chest and squeezing. He rubbed her arm, then stepped back and began stacking furniture in front of the window. Lee threw a look over his shoulder at Gaara as he lifted a desk by himself and moved it along the wall. "Mr. Sabaku, what do you know about the outbreak so far?"

Gaara was just turning away from the sight of the two media practitioners. The support they had was precious in these circumstances, but he felt a shot of icy numbness when he thought of his own family and colleagues. They were all probably dead or fighting their way to safety, far away from here. The redhead glanced at the two again once the windows were blocked, numbness giving way to a stoic expression. "You get the flu, you die, and you come back." He said curtly, crossing his arms. "What makes you think I know what's going on more than you?"

He had his theories...but there hadn't been enough time to know what was happening by the time the infection reached his office. The paranormal had been a hobby of his, including the zombie genre, but everything was different when it became reality.

"It's not like that. We're just trying to piece together what's really happening." Tenten said, sensing the change in the redhead's demeanor and holding up her hands. They were all still in shock and she knew from experience that those traumatized by a crisis could lash out at each other. She moved to take the video camera from the couch and setting it on rewind. "We were assigned to cover a quarantine the Center for Disease Control issued for were already reports of people getting sick last night, but everyone thought it was another swine flu epidemic. At least, until those who died started to come back."

Gaara shook his head and began to pile a barricade around the entrance with the remaining furniture. They'd need to raid the other apartments tomorrow to fortify this one. "I was in a meeting when news of the virus was released. People inside my building were already sick before we knew what was really going on. Everyone who showed signs of a flu, died and turned even if they weren't bitten." He exhaled harshly and dusted his hands. "In zombie films, the virus is usually transmitted through a bite, but this must be airborne."

"Airborne?" Lee repeated, frowning in alarm at the idea. It had occurred to him that biting wouldn't be likely to infect this many people this fast, but he hadn't had time to give it much more thought than that. "But, how can we protect ourselves from that? We can keep zombies out with barricades, but we cannot block the air!"

"Lee," Tenten stepped up quickly and put a hand on his arm, giving him a look he was all too familiar with. It was the look she gave him right before slugging him in the head for getting too worked up or excited. He winced and bowed his head. Tenten continued "We don't know that it can infect everyone yet. To be safe, we'll keep an eye on each other for flu symptoms and try to stay safe in the meantime."

It didn't take long before they'd fortified the lower level of the apartment complex. The barricade they'd set up was a simple one, but it would be enough to give a wall of defense if the doors broke down, as well as provide a good place for Lee to shoot with his gun. Gaara did a quick run outside to scout the area, killing zombies that loitered near the doors, and put up signs in case his family returned. In the meantime, Tenten had little success in contacting the station.

"...is down...contacting police but...all dead...evacu..."

With a frustrated sigh, Tenten shut off her phone and sank back against the couch. It was the only thing left in the middle of the room with even the bookcase and the television included in the barricades. "This is impossible! I need to get to a higher place. The signal's really bad." She said, hair falling freely down her shoulders. Of all the places she'd been assigned to, she didn't expect Suna to feel like war reporting in Oto Country. "At least we know there's still someone at the station, but I couldn't ask about the rest of the people back home."

"Internet's down. The electricity's holding up and we have a generator in the building, but we should find flashlights and emergency lights tomorrow." Gaara announced as he headed down the stairs. He'd showered and changed into more comfortable clothes, though he still kept a golf club slung behind his shoulders.

Pressing his lips together, he glanced at the two and leaned back against the handrails of the stairs. Lee's and Tenten's clothes weren't as blood-stained as his had been, but they were still rumpled and worn in. Tenten's pants leg was also torn in one side from their frantic run to safety. "You two can use my brother's and sister's rooms. Take what you need from their clothes, but leave everything else untouched."

"Thank you, Mr. Sabaku." Lee took a deep breath and rubbed his face wearily. "I promise not to disturb any of your family's belongings."

After failing to contact most all of the people he'd been worrying about, Lee's usually abundant spirit was starting to wear thin. Above the aching numbness of shock however, he was extremely appreciative of Gaara's lead at the moment. Lee had a strong body and could be deadly in a fight if he tried, but he didn't know if he could honestly try to kill a person, even someone who was already dead. He had his gun if the moment came, but he was uneasy about wasting bullets until he really needed to. The next time they went out, Lee planned on borrowing a golf club from Gaara or trying to find a weapon for himself to keep.

Upstairs, Tenten and Lee walked down a short hallway and found two bedrooms across from each other that they assumed belonged to Gaara's brother and sister. One clearly belonged to someone female, and the other had a closet full of things for someone taller than the redhead. Lee was digging for a shirt when Tenten returned to him from the sister's room in a pair of jeans and a tee shirt. The pants were a bit big, so she had to roll up the leg hem and use a belt, but and the shirt was loose and comfortable.

Lee had quickly discovered that Gaara's brother was a shorter man than himself, but had made due with a pair of stretchy sweatpants. He glanced up when he heard the door creak open and saw Tenten's face peeking inside. He was shirtless as he went through the drawers, but he knew Tenten wouldn't mind. "You can come in. How are you feeling, Tenten? Did you have trouble finding something to wear?"

"No, I found something to wear pretty quickly." She looked down at herself and brushed the length of her borrowed shirt thoughtlessly. Her hands were trembling slightly, but her expression was careful. "I'm feeling... fine. I'm fine. It's a little chilly in here, but I'm okay. Are you okay?"

Lee pulled out a black shirt with long sleeves and held it up, checking the neck tag for the size. He could probably make it fit, though his shoulders would be snug in the fabric. He pulled it on over his head and shrugged it into place as he turned to his friend. "I'm okay, too. You're cold, though?"

"It's probably just the shock." Tenten crossed her arms in front of herself and shivered, sighing and looking away. Her eyes were sad and haunted. "Do you think Gaara's siblings are alive? I want to thank them for the clothes."

"I... hope so." Lee put an arm around Tenten's shoulders and walked into the hall with her. They went back down the stairs and into the living room.

Their host was in the kitchen, cleaning his makeshift weapons at the sink where infected blood ran down the drain. The stiff set of Gaara's shoulders were trembling faintly as he studiously avoided looking at family photos tacked onto the fridge and the wooden ornaments that seemed out of place amidst a modern kitchen setup.

Green eyes flickered in Tenten and Lee's direction when they headed down the stairs. Gaara's stomach twisted at the sight of the two in his siblings' clothes, though he took it in silence. For a moment, he thought... Pressing down on the hope he felt, he carefully slid the clean golf club back in the bag and set it aside. "There's food in the cabinets and fridge if you're hungry." He said instead, sinking down on a chair facing the counter and sliding his fingers through his temples and forehead.

"I'll cook something for us." Tenten volunteered, rubbing her hands together. Working with her hands would take her mind off what they'd all gone through today. She tapped Lee's arm, tilting her head towards the redhead and mouthing a silent, 'Be friendly'. Washing her hands at the sink and swallowing at the smell of blood, she went on to rummage through the fridge for food.

"Tomorrow, we need to check the other apartments and the hardware store down the road. If we wear padded winter coats, the bites shouldn't be as fatal." Gaara was murmuring, eyes shut and his hands rubbing at his temples.

Lee took the seat next to Gaara and sat down, leaning against the countertop as he watched the redhead's stressed expression. He cleared his throat briefly and tried to smile in a manner of friendly that Tenten would approve of. "We really are grateful for your help, Mr. Sabaku. Just out of curiosity, what do you do?"

Tilting his head forward, Lee tried not to let his unease for the redhead show. To be entirely honest, Lee wasn't comfortable with Gaara. The man had saved his life, given him a safe place to rest and hide, not to mention a change of clothes and food, but there was something about the way that Gaara was handling this epidemic so quickly and efficiently that put Lee on edge. It was beyond him how Gaara could kill the undead without reservations, especially so quick after the virus had hit.

"Executive administration." Gaara opened his eyes and stared hard at the counter in front of him. None of what he knew about work helped in this situation, besides the ability to delegate tasks to the best people for the job. He rubbed his temples slowly as he spoke, "My team made sure to keep company executives in line at all costs. We reported to the chairman himself. ...My father." Lee didn't need to know the darker aspects the job called for and why he was assigned that position instead of others.

He lowered his hands and turned to the other man, eyes narrowed and suddenly focused completely on Lee. There was a look on Lee's face that itched at him, the way his father sometimes did when he wanted a job done discreetly. It made his hackles rise. "I want to see your footage. There must be something that tells us more about this epidemic." He said instead, twisting on the stool to face Lee completely and hands twitching faintly on the knees of his pants.

"The camera's charging." Tenten told him while she heated up some oil in a pan. As long as the electricity still worked, they'd continue to have hot meals if she had any say in it.

It made sense that Gaara would be a chairman's son, or have a good job, based on the quality of the apartment. Lee averted his eyes from the intensity in Gaara's expression and fidgeted his hands on the counter.

"I tried to leave the camera on whenever I could while Tenten and I were running. Whenever we could afford to stop, I used the camera to get surveying footage of what was around us." Lee ran a finger along his arm bandages, just peeking out from the long sleeves of his borrowed shirt. He wondered if his Uncle Gai was worried about him, or had been hurt. "I want to look at the film, too, and see if I caught anything that would help us."

"Let's review it." Gaara agreed, slipping down from the stool. Lee's fiddling drew Gaara's eyes towards his arms, a note of alarm suddenly ringing in his head at the sight of the bandages. His hand darted forward and grabbed Lee's wrist, pulling it up until the sleeves fell down to reveal the wrappings. For someone of his height and build, he had a strong and steady grip. Eyes narrowing, he hissed, "What's this? Are you bitten?"

"Wha- no! No, of course not! I would have told you if I had been infected." Lee tried to pull his wrist away, but Gaara was surprisingly strong. Lee swallowed and glanced up with wide eyes when Tenten looked at him with alarm, then back at Gaara quickly to make sure the redhead was not reaching for a golf club. "Really, I wear these bandages all the time!"

Lee lifted his other arm and shook the sleeve down so that Gaara could see the wrappings there as well. "I have always done manual labor jobs, so these help prevent cuts and bruises, and they have some medicine in the fabric to help my old scars heal. I can unwrap them if you want to see for yourself, but I have not been bitten."

The suspicion on Gaara's face didn't waver but he let go of Lee's wrist. "Show me." He said, crossing his arms resolutely. They knew so little about the virus, that a single cut or wound could also lead to infection. It was all moot if the infection really spread through the air, but he wasn't risking anything. Not when Lee was staying in his house.

"Please calm down, Mr. Sabaku. Lee wouldn't lie about something like that. And we need to trust each other if we're going to survive." Tenten reasoned out. The smell of vegetable stir-fry filled the kitchen with sense of normalcy, but she felt that same creeping panic with the look in Gaara's eyes, as she did while on the run. A chill filled her bones with how easy it was for people to turn against each other with a constant threat just outside the door. "Just show him your bandages and let's all settle down and have dinner, okay? We're all in this together, okay?"

Gaara swallowed at Tenten's voice. He didn't like the panic he could hear in it, or the shared glance between her and Lee. "Okay." He said, looking at Lee expectantly.

Lee swallowed again, but did as he was told. He knew that they were each stressed enough already, he didn't want to make Tenten worry anymore. He unknotted the ends of the bandages that were tucked into his palms, and quickly unraveled the fabric, letting it fall into a heap on his lap. He pushed back his sleeves on his biceps and held out his arms for Gaara's inspection. There was a light dusting of white powder left on his skin from the medicine in the fabric, but no new injuries. Only the old and long healed injuries remained. "I completely understand your concern, but I promise I would have told you if I was bitten."

Catching sight of the old scars, Gaara's lips twitched slightly in a mixture of relief and unease. He didn't know anybody who had such knotted and mottled skin, and wasn't buying into Lee's reason about it being part of his job. The number of scars on his arms made it look like Lee was a bleeder. He'd have to watch the other man closely and hide any sharp objects if it turned out he did cut himself. His gaze lingered on the scars before sliding up to stare hard at the taller man. "Fine. We'll eat then look at your footage."

He turned around and began taking out plates for them. They'd all have to eat on the counters with the table serving as cover for one of the windows.

While he was laying out the utensils, Tenten continued to cook in silence with a frown on her usually animated features.

Lee began re-wrapping his bandages while Gaara gathered plates and Tenten finished cooking. He hadn't appreciated the clinical, suspicious look on Gaara's face, though he wouldn't mention it. He knew the redhead was only trying to stay alive, which was best for all of them. He was just tying the last knot in his wrappings when Tenten began scooping the stir fry onto plates.

* * *

Lee made a fast dash across the street, following quickly behind Tenten, who was following Gaara's lead. The zombies in the area were sparse, but they knew that would change fast if they dawdled. Lee spotted the hardware store ahead that Gaara was aiming for, and sincerely hoped that the doors would be open, so they wouldn't have to waste time breaking in. The sun was almost centered in the sky above, signaling midday.

With every ground they covered on the way to the hardware store, they attracted more of the zombies loitering along the streets and nearby alleyways. The city was connected with dozens of sidestreets and many people must have died escaping into them, only to face cold grasping hands and teeth.

Gaara tried the knob of the hardware store, hyperaware of the shuffling around them as walkers drew near. He shouldered the door of the hardware store when it refused to budge, causing a groan as the lock rattled. The redhead knew from memory that the store used fiberglass windows while the door was just weighted synthetic wood. He wasted no time in stepping back and running his full weight against the door, breaking the metal latch.

Rushing in, he waited for both companions to get in before slamming the door after them. "Find something to block this with." He ordered, keeping his back to the door and holding the wood down.

Lee immediately turned his head about, spotting a vending machine against a nearby wall. He gestured to Tenten, and they both worked on pushing and shoving it along the wall toward the door. It was heavy, and there was a few tense seconds when it stopped scooting across the floor because the plug was caught on something behind them, but Lee untangled it and they managed to get the machine where they needed it. Lee called for Gaara to move quickly, then shoved the vending machine onto its side with a hefty crash, and shoved it tight against the door. Lee's skin shivered as he heard groaning and thumping on the other side of the wood.

"If we can push that, they might be able to, too," Lee said as he straightened and wiped the moisture from his forehead. "We should pile a few more things on that."

Tenten was already there, stacking big paint buckets from a nearby aisle on top of the vending machine.

Once the door was secure, Gaara rolled his shoulders back and cracked his neck with a sigh. He took the flashlight from his hip, thankful that the hardware store was locked. It lessened the chances of zombies being inside or anyone breaking in. Before he could even turn the light on, floodlights shone at them and a silhouette of a man stepped in front of the lights and aimed a shotgun at the three of them.

"Nobody move." The man said with a faint drawl. "Say who you are in five seconds or I'll blow your brains out for trespassing."

"Don't hurt them, Kiba!"

The man was joined by someone shorter and feminine, who clutched at the man's arm. "Get back, Hinata. We don't know if they're infected or not." Kiba whispered in a forced hush.

Lee immediately grabbed Tenten's arm and pulled her close, half hiding her behind him protectively as his pulse jumped in surprise. Tenten peered around him and tried to shake off his grip as she looked at the strangers with wide eyes.

"My name is Tenten, this is Lee, and this is Gaara," she said quickly, pointing to each of her companions as she spoke. "We're not infected! We came here looking for supplies. Are you alright? How many other survivors are with you?"

" _Tenten,_ " Lee warned in a quiet hush. He was eyeing the barrel of Kiba's gun, feeling his stomach churn with unease.

Tenten simply gripped the back of Lee's shirt in reply. The two people were conversing in hushed tones until the man finally lowered his gun and shouldered it, snorting and shutting off the overhead floodlights but leaving the middle lights on.

Shaking the spots from his eyes, Gaara stepped past Lee and Tenten towards the two. "We need supplies." He said curtly, mind reeling with the possibility of making a new ally or foe. "We have a safe house in one of the apartments uphill. Let us get what we need and we can help you get settled in one of the other apartments." He could hear the pounding at the front door and knew that a synthetic wooden door wouldn't hold that long against determined hits.

"Down to business already, huh?" Kiba smirked, the canines of his teeth showing uncannily as Gaara's eyes adjusted to the low light. The man wasn't that tall, but he was wearing a furred, padded coat and jeans. The woman beside him was similarly wearing a jacket but had tights and hiking boots on. "You're lucky Akamaru's guarding the back. Else you'd be dog chow by now." He commented, nodding towards the back of the hardware store. "Let's talk in the employee lounge. The smell of human keeps those things throwing themselves against the door."

Lee kept Tenten close as he followed Gaara and the new survivors through the hardware store, until she finally shook him off with a pat on the arm and a look in her eyes that threatened a smack across the back of his head. He felt like he couldn't help being protective of her though, since they really only had each other and Gaara, though he didn't know the redhead very well.

"Thank you very much for your help." Lee spoke up, clearing his throat as they passed the garden section of the store. The echoing of their footsteps on the linoleum sounded too loud in the quiet of the empty store, once the sounds of moaning and thumping had faded behind them. "Would you mind sharing your names, now that you know ours?"

There was a pause as they walked, before the girl up ahead spoke quietly over her shoulder to Lee. "My name is Hinata. Pleased to meet you."

"Kiba." The man said as he pulled open the employee lounge and ushered everyone in. The place was small but the adjoining warehouse was well-stocked. There was a desk in the lounge where a man wearing sunglasses and sporting an afro watched over a radio. Said man glanced up and held up a hand.

"Wait a moment." Kiba said, hooking his thumb in one pocket. "We've got some security scanners still working. A few people tried to break in here when the dead started walking, but you're the first ones who've made it through the horde outside." He cocked his head towards the two men in their party, shaking his head at the golf clubs on Gaara's back.

Something whirred before the other man beckoned for them to come in.

"Kiba, we're getting a better signal from the group at the mall." The man said, pushing up his sunglasses. "They must have found a better transistor or moved to the roof. They're calling for help in turning the place into a fortress."

"That won't work." Gaara spoke up, moving to the man's side even with Kiba reaching for his gun in warning. "The mall has too many glass windows on the first floor. What's the situation there? How many survivors? Are there zombies inside?"

The man raised his brows and glanced at Kiba and Hinata in question, leaning away from the barrage of questions this stranger presented him.

"Um, this is Gaara. He and his friends broke down the front door," Hinata explained in a soft voice, gesturing to the three newcomers without really looking at them directly. She seemed to be thinking deeply as she fidgeted with her fingers.

"I had not thought that there would be many survivors aside from ourselves," Lee wondered out loud to Tenten in a murmur. A thought occurred to him, and he turned to Kiba. "You said that others tried to break into this store before us. Did you let them in? Are there many people like us who are uninfected by the virus?"

"It would have been too risky to open the doors." Kiba made a small gesture with his hand, as if throwing away the danger of morals at a time like this.

"What should we reply, Shino?" Hinata spoke up, glancing at Lee briefly from the corner of her eye.

"We can't," Shino said in monotone. "I haven't been able to fix our com link yet. If they knew what frequency to tune in to, we might be able to send out bits and pieces by tapping into radio frequencies, but they seem to be listening only to emergency channels." He turned to Gaara and slid his chair back until he was facing the desk again. "As for survivors, there's only a handful of them left inside according to what they've been saying."

That was bad. Gaara expected there to be more people who survived. They couldn't all have been bitten by zombies! Watching that footage Lee took showed that not everyone was infected upon contact with the virus even when people around them started getting sick. There were families where the father or sister looked healthy while they helped their sick relatives along. There were people evacuating with the tell-tale sign of redness around their eyes and a cold sweat on their faces. If the virus was airborne, it certainly didn't affect people at the same rate or impact. But one thing was sure- those who were bitten either died because they were eaten to death, or somehow got infected even when they weren't before.

Gaara exhaled heavily and crossed his arms impatiently while Kiba sank down on a bean bag.

Tenten placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder and smiled, trying to get the shy girl to look her in the eyes. "How long have you been here? We only just found refuge a few days ago so we're still trying to find out what's happening around us."

Hinata startled slightly, and glanced up at the other woman. Her hands wrung each other as she spoke quietly. "We've, um, been here about that long. Shino worked here before the, um, virus, so he had a key. Um, we tried to just borrow a few things and then leave, but there were too many zombies on the streets and we couldn't get through. S-so we've been waiting it out here, instead."

"There were a lot out there. We had a couple close calls just coming from a couple blocks away." Lee thought back with regret on the number of dull, sunken faces that had chased after them in a jerky shamble. He'd had to rely on Gaara to kill at least two, while Lee could only keep them at bay until there were too many.

"We're going to have to move, soon," Hinata murmured, her quiet voice uneasy. "Our food supply is running low, and Kiba's bad at rationing."

"What are you thinking, Gaara?" Lee stepped up and touched the redhead's arm, used to looking at him for leadership by now.

Gaara's arm stiffened at the touch, but he nodded in acknowledgment of Lee's question. No one in his family had been very fond of touching except his sister, to a degree. It was a brutal reminder that all he had to rely on right now were these strangers and his own survival skills. "The offer I gave still stands. If you allow us to take what we need from the store and warehouse, we'll help you get settled in at the apartments. We take what food supplies we can from here and raid the nearby houses. Once we have a better idea of the situation within the next few blocks, we'll make our way to the mall." He said.

"That's a tempting offer, but we're also safe where we are now. Why should we give you our food and equipment just to move to another dead-end home?" Kiba tapped the foot of his boot on the ground. "We let you in here because you broke down the doors. We need a better offer if we're letting you out of here with our junk."

Eyes narrowing, Gaara gazed from Kiba to his other two companions. "...What better offer is there in this situation?"

"Wait, we can offer hot water, warm beds, and cooked food. Gaara here also has a better grasp on things, so finding more about this infection is also on the table." Tenten interrupted, snorting at the power play the two were trying to do. "Besides, those people at the mall need help. The sooner we can get to them, the better."

"Hot water, huh? That's a damn trump card you've got. Fine, we accept." Kiba snorted, holding out his hand for Gaara to shake.

Lee sighed in relief. It would be best for survivors to stick together in this situation, not to get into power struggles or fight over supplies. They would only make it through this with cooperation. "We will do our best to make you comfortable in the apartments. With more people looking out for each other, we are sure to be safer as well!"

Hinata looked at Kiba and smiled, and finally stopped wringing her hands to hold them behind her back instead. Tenten kept a steady gaze on Gaara and Kiba, though she put a hand on Lee's shoulder and squeezed.

* * *

"This is the mall. Shino's scouting trips showed a number of routes blocked by hordes or cars. There's a traffic jam over here, so there'll be a lot of zoms around the cars." Kiba explained as he, Gaara and Tenten pored over the city map. They'd reinforced the blockades around the apartment with steel shutters from the hardware store, and had a good number of tools and improvised weapons. It turned out that the three new additions to their group had planned on taking a hiking trip to the mountains, postponing it indefinitely for the apocalypse. Akamaru, Kiba's large dog, stood guard near the entrance in a deceptive sleeping pose.

"We're getting a lot of activity in the intersection. The horde you mentioned forming is bigger now." Shino reported over the radio. The man was now at the roof of the apartment complex, along with his equipment and a heavy duty nail gun in case something sneaked up on him from the nearby roofs.

Tenten brushed her hair back and pointed to a route away from the main streets. "This is where we met days ago. I don't remember there being a lot of zombies here, so it might be safer to take a longer route behind all the houses than to push through with your plan."

"If we take down a number of zombies on the way, it will be better in the long run." Gaara insisted, frustrated that the others wouldn't agree to his plan. While there was danger in encountering newly turned zombies if they took the main street and fought their way to the mall, the point was to thin the horde and hopefully prevent any problems later on when the streets were too crowded.

Lee was in the kitchen with Hinata while the others crowded around the dining table. He was filling buckets and empty containers with water from the sink, just in case something happened that would cut off their clean water supply. He was listening to the others' plans, his mind processing the options. Hinata was stacking buckets against the far wall, also silent in a way that suggested she was thinking. The shy, quiet girl had surprised Lee with her resilience since they'd left the hardware store, and she'd proved to be quite smart.

"Mr. Sabaku, I agree that your plan might be helpful in the long run for if we have to move again, but it would be incredibly dangerous." He hefted a full bucket down from the counter and handed it to Hinata. "And I do not think the rest of us are quite as... talented at killing zombies as you are. I have not even taken down one, so how would we be able to get through a whole horde? Someone could get hurt, or infected."

"Then learn to kill them." Gaara replied with little change in his expression. "It's either you or they die." He glanced down at the map again, thinking of what he knew about zombies and surviving a living plague like this. Society always tried to play nice and protected the weak, but in a situation like this, there was no reasoning with the undead. Lee's morals were starting to nag at him. "The mall is the closest thing we have to a big, defensible location with a lot of resources and other survivors inside. If we get in, we have a chance to survive until help or an antivirus is made." After all, there had to be scientists out there who still had access to labs. Humanity couldn't be completely doomed.

"We all agree on going to the mall, but Tenten's idea makes more sense." Kiba shrugged, lips tugging up slightly at Tenten's direction. "We can't expect everyone to kill their way to the mall. Let's do this- you and I take out zombs from the roof and from the ground. I have my shotgun and you can protect the group while they make a run for the mall. I'll be following you on the roofs here, and here, then I'll join you at the end of this block." He tapped specific points on the map.

Tenten rubbed her eyes tiredly. Even with the safe apartment they were in, she hadn't been getting enough sleep with the things lurking outside. "Whatever the plan is, can we stay in for a day and just...just rest? I just need to get my bearings and maybe learn how to handle a weapon too."

"Um, I think that's a good idea." Hinata walked to the table and put a tentative hand on Tenten's arm, glancing at the others in the room. "We don't have to leave right away. It would be best for all of us to rest and get, um, prepared before we make a move."

"Thanks, Hinata." Tenten put a hand over the other girl's and gave her a grimacing smile.

Lee was still standing in the kitchen, leaning against the counter while a bucket was slowly filling with water in the sink. He nodded at Hinata's words and had concern in the set of his brows for Tenten, but he was still thinking about their plan. He had a nagging, sick feeling in his gut when he tried to think about when they would be on the street again, running and surrounded by the undead. A small, nimble group of two or three at most was one thing, but there were six of them now. He was convinced that something was going to go wrong, and someone would get hurt or separated. Even if _all_ of them could defend themselves, it could be mayhem. At the same time however, he wanted to help the group at the mall and join forces with them.

"Do you know how to use a gun, Mr. Sabaku?" Lee turned off the water and walked to the table while the girls talked quietly to each other and moved upstairs to the bedrooms. Lee was feeling hyperaware of the weight of the gun that he still carried in the pouch on his hip. He put a hand over it, but the pouch was zipped shut.

Gaara looked up from the map and tilted his head at Lee, surprised that he would ask that. Lee had been such a pacifist that he hadn't even used his gun on a zombie once. "Only the basics of point and shoot. I never had to clean or assemble one before." The fact that that wasn't completely the truth wouldn't matter now. He did learn how to target shoot with his brother years ago. Pausing for a moment, he crossed his arms in thought. "Why do you have a gun with you if you don't plan on using it?"

"So that I do not have to use it, or for when I have no other choice." Lee glanced at Kiba, who seemed to be listening while he picked at some lint on his shirt. Lee flexed the fingers that hovered over his hip pouch. "Sometimes letting someone know I have it is enough to escape a fight, and I would use it if someone else's life was in danger. I do not think I would hesitate if you or Tenten were backed into a corner."

The tightness in Gaara's lips and brows ebbed away as he stared at Lee. Was this man really telling him he'd protect him? The hard look in his eyes eased into a quiet, focused assessment of the other man. "...Zombies won't be afraid of your gun. They smell the life in you and they can't be reasoned with or stopped by intimidation." He exhaled slowly then walked past Lee towards the stairs, speaking in a low voice as he passed. "If that happened and there's no chance of saving me, you should run with Tenten. I can take care of myself."

Kiba craned his neck, watching Gaara make his way up the stairs. He rolled back his shoulders and chuckled slightly. "He's so weird. I'm heading up to check in on Shino. Want to come?"

"Alright," Lee answered, frowning after Gaara and lifting his hand on the gun to scratch the back of his head. Sometimes Gaara seemed so... intense. It was hard not to be during an epidemic like this, but with Gaara, he acted like every moment would be the last. Lee shook his head and followed Kiba from the dining room table.


	2. Chapter 2

"There's more outside than there were the other day... or even yesterday." Tenten was looking out the window shades from the second story of the apartment building, counting zombies and their position around the block's perimeter. She swallowed slowly, her eyes narrowed. She had a sinking feeling in her gut.

"Aww, don't worry Tenten, I'll be taking them down from above and Gaara will knock their heads off their shoulders. Akamaru will make sure nothing reaches you." Kiba assured her. They all had backpacks on with food piles tied together and improvised weapons at hand. While they were going for stealth, it was better to be armed in some way. He tugged on the pulldown set of stairs to the roof, waving goodbye to Shino and Hinata who were heading to the first floor.

Downstairs, Gaara finished tying the cloth band around his hands, testing his grip and flexing his fingers. He took the idea of Lee's arm wraps and scrounged for old fabrics he could tear up. Those golf clubs wouldn't be slipping out of his grip easily now. "We'll leave the apartment as a safe house, but the mall should have everything we need. Hinata, stay in the middle of the group. You're carrying most of our food so you need to be quick and alert." He instructed in clipped tones. The stress on his face gave away his worries and doubts about what they were doing.

The girl nodded and shied away from Gaara's authoritative tone, moving closer to Lee. Gaara didn't pay her much attention as he walked past his family photos and belongings, not bothering to take anything bigger than a single photo as he checked outside the front door. Shadows passed over his face with each walker that shambled past. "We need to run to the end of the street. Then enter the first alley we come to. We'll do a parallel sweep of the residential area until we get to the mall, clear?"

"Understood." Lee nodded and put a hand on Hinata's shoulder bracingly. His other hand held an aluminum bat, something he'd found during one of their food searches in the other apartments. He had his gun as well, but that was only useful for a small number of shots. The bat wouldn't run out of ammo.

Shino was standing at another window, examining the zombies that shambled across the street. He'd been characteristically silent while the group prepared. He'd gone over their route carefully when the plan had been set, and had made a few attempts to contact the people in the mall, but there was no getting through. "We should leave now," was all he said, murmured just loud enough for the others to hear.

"Right." Tenten turned away from the window and made her way across the apartment, leading the way down the the first floor of the building.

The moment they stepped out, Kiba fired a few shots on the opposite side of the street while the group dashed towards the other side. Gaara took the lead, clearing a path through the walking dead with golf club in hand and sturdy kicks when they got too near. "Alley!" He instructed veering left towards the network of alleyways in the residential area.

Hands grabbed at their shirts and gaping mouths chewed soundlessly at air where they passed. Entering the alleyway, they were aided by Kiba with shots to the ground far away from them, trying to lure the zombies away. Akamaru was growling as he ran alongside them, intelligently drawing away the zombies that got too close like a sheepdog herding ewes.

Lee tried to stay between the zombies and the girls, but it was impossible when the undead were shambling toward them from every side. In the alley a dead man with broken legs dragged his stiff rotting body toward them from behind a trash bin. Close behind them a woman with dislocated jaw and a band tee shirt was reaching for them with blood stained nails. Lee almost ran into the arms of a tall, bulky man with a limp and blood dripping from his slack jaw, but Shino hauled him away just in time. Nausea clawed at Lee's stomach as he spotted a boy with snarling exposed teeth, no taller than Lee's waist reach for Hinata as they emerged from one alley and ran to another. She dodged his little hands by inches, and huffed as she kept up with Gaara.

"Tenten!" Lee called out, eyes widening as the girl slipped on something and fell against an alley wall. Tenten put a hand over her mouth as she looked down and realized that what she'd slipped in was a thick pool of blood. Behind her, the corpse that was still bleeding reached for her from where it was sprawled on the ground. Shino shoved Tenten forward, and Lee cracked down on the reaching arms with his bat, grimly registering the feel of bones breaking under metal. He darted after the others as they picked up speed again.

Gaara was starting to wear down by the time they wound through the maze of alleys. He could still hear Kiba shooting from the rooftops, but sound wasn't enough to draw all of the zombies away from them. They were so close to the mall but they'd already passed a couple of dead ends where there should be shortcuts.

A girl in torn jeans lunged at Gaara as he rounded the corner, mouth agape and her torn chest a gruesome sight. He brought his club up with barely enough time to pin her neck against the wall and twisted it with a sick crack until her head lolled to the side. Moans resounded in the air from all around them as Gaara breathed heavily in exhaustion.

Before they could even start running again, hands grabbed at Shino's coat collar and pack. There was no time to react as a dead man sank his teeth into his shoulder and tore skin and muscle. Hinata shut her eyes with a frightened whimper as blood dribbled from the corpse's mouth, everything suddenly slowing down and a dull ringing filling her ears. She didn't see or hear her friend screaming as the zombie moved in for another bite. She didn't see Kiba shooting the corpse in the head and shimmying down the building with an unfamiliar look of horror on his face. By the time she opened her eyes again, her legs were moving on automatic as the world came alive.

Shino clutched at his shoulder as he ran alongside her. He was shrugging off his pack hurriedly and arguing angrily with Kiba. All Hinata understood was that Shino forced his pack into Kiba's arms then abruptly took another turn. He was gone.

"Do not look back," Lee had a strained look on his face as he fell back to run alongside Hinata. Tenten looked over her shoulder at him with horror in her wide eyes, but Lee shook his head grimly. They didn't have time. Several of the undead that had been chasing behind them had separated to follow Shino instead.

They rounded one last corner and entered the last alleyway, a narrow-one way street that lead to the service entrance at the back of the building. A large truck blocked the opening to the main street, but the group could see a fenced off section in the opposite direction. They could hear loud shuffling and moans from the alley they'd just fled, and around the building corner that lead to the front entrance. There were only two zombies in front of the fence, two young dead men in bloody hoodies.

Lee lifted his bat and descended on the zombie to the left, trusting Gaara to take care of the other. Lee's first swing missed the boy's head and hit his shoulder, knocking him onto his knees. Lee started to back up, but the zombie only crawled after him with gaunt, fixated eyes. Lee cringed and swung hard, cracking his bat against the zombie's skull with a sickening crunch. He hit it once more as it fell onto its side to be sure it wasn't moving, and then turned on his heel to follow the others toward the fence gate.

Gaara was tapping his club on the ground to shake off the guts at the end. Sweat dampened his back and dripped down his face, giving a flushed look to his eyes. None of them were really equipped to fight long term. He threw the bent club away as they stood in front of the fence. The loss of a member of their team brought a numbness in his chest just as Hinata's sobs did, but he knew they couldn't have done anything for Shino.

Kiba was already scaling the fence when the door inside burst open and a couple of people rushed towards them. "Hurry, get inside!" One of them hissed as they worked to pull open the large fence. As soon as the gate opened, they rushed inside with the sound of running feet following behind them. Tenten helped push the fence closed just as part of the horde following after them appeared from the alley they came from.

"Close call," said one of the people who let them in, taking off his cap and fanning himself with it. "We have to get Deidara to finish those explosives. The fence won't hold forever."

"You go do that. I'm getting these people inside." Turning to the surviving party, a girl with pink-dyed hair began ushering them in. "Are you all alright? Does anyone need medical help?"

"Sakura, if any of them's bitten, we can't let them inside."

"It's fine, Shikamaru. They don't look sick to me." Sakura called over her shoulder at the spiky-haired man who had his hands full jabbing a knife on a stick through the fence's holes, stabbing the zombies on the other side. The girl scanned the party with a medic's eye, pegging their sweaty but flushed faces to their recent chase through the alley instead of to the epidemic. One of the girls was crying with a man pressing her face to his shoulder. The rest looked spooked but unharmed.

Lee was hunched over, hand on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. His bloody aluminum bat lay on the cement beside him while he panted and focused on calming his racing heart. He'd been ignoring the stitches in his sides until now, but now it was hitting him with full force. He looked up, dazed as he identified their rescuers. If he hadn't already been flushed red from their desperate run, he would have blushed when he caught sight of the pink haired girl, Sakura. She was pretty. Now wasn't the time to think of that type of thing however, so he shook his head and put it out of his head. Hinata's sobs easily distracted him.

"None of us are infected." Tenten stepped up to Sakura, struggling for breath, though not as bad as Lee or Gaara. She hadn't had to fight anything, only flee. Her expression was a mix of crushed and shocked. "We had one more... but we lost him on the way here. We heard your message on the radio."

"Gaara," Lee murmured, stepping up to the redhead and trying to meet his eyes. Gaara looked exhausted. "Are you okay?"

"...No." Gaara whispered, pressing a hand against his heaving chest. His eyes focused on the other man's thick brows when Lee stepped up to him, the quirky features grounding him until he could put away Shino's screams to the back of his mind. A mask fell over his face as he straightened up and addressed his companions in a monotone. "Did we lose any of the packs?"

"You cold bastard! We lost Shino and all you can ask is if we still have the packs?!" Hinata stiffened at Kiba's outburst. Her friend's fists were clenched around her shoulders and there was a tell-tale clench in his jaw from anger. Akamaru whimpered at sensing Kiba's anger.

"Shino knew what he was doing. There was no hope for him once he was bitten and he gave us a chance to escape." Gaara replied, his eyes lingering on Lee's face before he turned to look at Kiba. The concern he saw in the taller man's eyes was disconcerting. It wasn't as if they were family. "If we lost another person or one of the packs, his death would have been for nothing."

Tenten turned toward Lee, Kiba, and the others, but her eyes were tight and downcast. The wet, bloody groans of the zombies that gathered on the other side of the fence were growing louder as the horde migrated toward them.

"I don't think we lost any packs," Lee said quietly, turning away from Gaara and stepping up beside Tenten. He put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "Maybe you should not mention it for now Gaara. We will take inventory when we are safe inside."

"Speaking of," Sakura stated, turning toward the building. "We need to get inside before they get through the fence." She banged her fist on the metal door and hollered. "Oi! Let us in! No one out here is infected, open the door!"

There was a brief pause, and the handle turned with a loud click. Sakura stepped inside and held open the door for the others.

Gaara wasted no time replying as he headed on inside. He could still feel Kiba's heated glare on his back, but he couldn't care less as long as they made it here alive. Tenten shivered after one last look at the fence and followed after the redhead.

* * *

"Okay, since there's only about four or five of us who have killed one of those zombies before, and you guys can obviously handle yourselves, we'll split into pairs for two scouting parties. We'll leave Sai and Shikamaru behind to work on our defenses. Hidan and Deidara need to finish those molotovs so we'll leave them behind too. The rest can take turns guarding the barricades until we get back." Naruto, the blond man who'd been leading the survivors at the mall, told the group huddled in the third floor atrium.

All of the survivors from their party were welcomed by Naruto. The man was a warm presence and a source of hardheaded optimism in these times, and he'd already started getting to know the newcomers in just a few days. Gaara felt his insides cramp at the thought of spending hours with the talkative man.

"Any questions? I'll even give our newcomers first dibs on their partners." Naruto said cheerfully, grinning at the mixed group.

Lee's first instinct was to turn toward Tenten, but a large man named Choji had already secured her as a partner. He glanced at Sakura out of the corner of his eye, blushing a light shade of pink similar to her hair. She wasn't just pretty. She'd been incredibly nice to them ever since they'd arrived, and she was very reliable thanks to her skills as a medic. Lee opened his mouth to ask if he could partner with her for scouting, but she was preoccupied with something in her first aide bag and wasn't catching his eye. Lee turned to Gaara instead, putting a hand on the redhead's shoulder to catch his attention. "Would you like to stick with me for scouting?"

Gaara had already turned away from the others when Lee called his attention. His brow knotted but he just nodded sharply. Despite the number of people living in the mall, he'd stuck to keeping to himself outside of eating together with the group or meeting for food runs to the mall's supermarket. The only people he really talked to were Naruto, Lee, Tenten, and strangely enough, Hinata. "We'll take the main street." He called to Naruto with the blond man's thumbs up.

Facing the taller man again, he tilted his head towards the city map tacked on one of the pillars and got right down to discussing their route. "The roofs should be safe to run on. Long-ranged but silent weapons are all we need, since gun shots will just draw zombies towards us." He said, biting his lips from inside his mouth. This wasn't the first time he'd had to partner with someone on a foray, but it was with Lee. Staring hard at Lee's face, he remembered all the times Lee chose to be merciful or to just run, and wondered if he could really trust him to watch his back. "Do you have a weapon of your own?"

"The only long range weapon I have is my hand gun," Lee said, glancing at the map as Gaara did thoughtfully. "I will have to find something that I can use."

"When you boys come back, remember to use the emergency doors on the other side this time," Deidara told them, sitting only a couple feet behind. He had an unnerving grin on his face as he leaned forward. "If I get those molotovs done early, I'm gonna reinforce the fenced areas. We don't want you to knock the wrong part of the fence and lose an arm."

"Thank you for the warning, Deidara." Lee turned and smiled, though the odd edge to the other man's expression when he talked about his bombs honestly made the hairs rise on his neck.

"Make sure the emergency doors are clear of zombies." Gaara replied, unfazed by Deidara. There was a rumor that Deidara and Hidan were part of an organized crime ring, but all that mattered was that they knew their stuff and were willing to help the group. "Lee, we move in an hour. Meet me at the third floor emergency exit then."

"Hey, don't go too far, alright? We just need to cover the next two blocks this round." Naruto reminded them as he tied on a cloth headband to keep his bangs out of his eyes. He was paired up with Ino, a similarly blond haired salon owner who had a knack for finding strategic positions and routes. She brushed her long bangs to the side of her face and placed a hand on her hip. "Don't forget to have one of you map the area while you're out." She said, "And grab me some makeup if you find any!"

Gaara nodded in acknowledgement, turning to Lee to discuss their route. Hinata's timid voice cut in before he could say anything. "Please be careful out there, Gaara. I've packed something for you and Lee." She said, holding out a wrapped lunch pack, a shy smile crossing her face. Taking the pack from her hands, Gaara's sharp look softened for a moment as he thanked her quietly.

"Thank you very much." Lee smiled at Hinata, and started to say something more when he felt Tenten patting his shoulder.

"Lee?" Tenten leaned against her friend and looked up at him with her arms crossed. "Choji and I are going to take C Street. We'll only be a couple blocks away from you and Gaara, so let's keep an eye out for each other, alright? If you need help, just scream and I'll come running."

"Thank you, Tenten," Lee said, bracing himself against the girl's lean. "But I am not too concerned for my own safety. Mr. Sabaku has my back! And I will have his, so you will not have to worry about us. If you need help, we will come for you however."

Choji was standing in front of one of the pillars, examining the map. Lee had heard that Choji lived in the city before the outbreak, so he knew how to get where he wanted with the least amount trouble. Lee was a little concerned that the man's extra girth would slow him down, but over the past couple days since arriving here, Choji had shown that he could more than keep up with the others. Lee nodded at the man when he glanced their way, and Tenten left to join him for planning their route.

Once the two were gone, Gaara ran through his and Lee's route quickly, making sure to point out the areas where hordes were spotted. The man might not be as aggressive as he was about killing zombies, but he was certain that Lee would never leave him behind.

* * *

Their careful steps on the roofs of buildings and low-rise homes couldn't make up for the crumbling shingles they just walked on. Gaara clenched his jaw as loose roofing fell on the garbage bins below them, attracting walkers to look up at them. The rotting corpses moaned and raised their hands at them uselessly, their bodies already showing signs of decay despite the shiny red sheen of their torn organs peeking from tattered clothes. Looking into those dead eyes, Gaara felt a chill go up his spine. He tapped Lee's shoulder and pointed to the fire exit of the condominium building next to them.

He hauled himself over the railing and froze when the metal stairs began to creak and shudder.

"Be careful," Lee whispered quietly, holding out a hand in case Gaara slipped or the stairway gave out. He put a hand on the rough shingles as he crouched, trying not to make any noise as he shifted his feet. The sun was at an angle in the sky today, and kept getting in Lee's eyes when he surveyed the blocks. He and Gaara hadn't run into any trouble yet, but every moment was unnerving and they were slowly attracting the zombies in the alleys with their scent or through the noise they made on the rooftops.

Gaara scowled at the reminder briefly but took greater care in making his way up the fire exit to the roof. If they could get higher, they could lie low and keep out of sight from the zombies. When he reached the last floor though, a woman suddenly appeared with her hands and face pressed against the glass, her eyes bloodshot and rolling wildly. Her teeth were bared as she pounded at the glass. Gaara staggered backwards in surprise, the railing banging against his shoulders painfully and making the stairs groan louder. His hands gripped the thin metal rods behind him as he got his bearings again.

Lee clenched his teeth and nearly cursed under his breath, twisting his body to see what had startled Gaara. Lee was slowly following him on the stairway. He hustled, struggling not to fumble his footing as he caught up. The stair frame creaked, but it the pounding on the window glass and the groaning was louder.

"Just keep moving," Lee said quickly, putting a hand on the pouch at his waist cautiously and tightening his grip on the metal hand rail with the other. "Quick, before she breaks through. We should get higher first, and take care of her if she breaks the glass and follows."

Gaara didn't waste time and got to his feet quickly, moving past the shuddering window and heading up the final flight of stairs. When he reached the ledge, he reached behind him for the club he'd strapped to his back, holding it in front of him warily as he waited for Lee to follow after him.

The sound of glass breaking made him rush to the edge, looking down just in time to see the zombie crawling out of the window despite broken glass cutting into her skin. "Kill it!" He hissed, hands scrambling to find something sharp in his tool belt.

Lee was just stepping on level with the window when the zombie broke through, making him step quickly back until he felt the metal railing behind him. Eyes wide, he pulled out his gun and flicked the safety off. The woman turned her head and faced her dead, unseeing red eyes on him as she crawled, mouth open and gnawing on air. She was bleeding profusely, but she didn't care or notice as she reached for his legs and started to lunge. Lee pointed his gun and pulled the trigger twice, grimacing from the noise it made as the bullets impaled her skull and her body crumpled. Blood poured down her long, ragged hair like thick wine and dripped down the stairwell.

A couple deep breaths and a guilty, sinking feeling later, Lee stepped over the woman and climbed up after Gaara. He gave a nervous glance through the window, but he didn't see any other zombies inside... yet.

"Sorry, I did not have time to reach for my bat," Lee said, chewing the inside of his mouth anxiously. He could already hear moaning and shuffling approach from the connection of alleyways. "We should move before more find us."

"Next time bring a knife or ice pick." Gaara exhaled through gritted teeth, scanning the streets below. The gunshots had attracted a lot of zombies. They'd have to take another route the next time they went out. There was something in Lee's eyes and the curve of his mouth that bothered Gaara, but that look was becoming a common sight on everyone who'd killed a zombie. "We're almost done with this street. Two more and we head back."

"Sounds good." Lee followed Gaara up the rest of the stairway, sighing in some relief when the reached the roof. He glanced down, then stepped away from the edge of the roof so the arriving zombies wouldn't see him. They need to move, but Lee hesitated. He had something on his mind. "Mr. Sabaku? ...How would you kill a zombie with an ice pick?"

Gaara's brows knotted before he snorted. "You stab it in the eyes so the pick goes straight to its brain." He replied, pausing before taking out a pocketknife he'd taken from the hardware store. Holding it out to Lee, he kept his gaze steady despite seeing the bloodstains on the other man's pants legs. "Keep this on you."

Lee took the knife and wrinkled his nose briefly at Gaara's answer. He wondered if Gaara spent a lot of time thinking about makeshift weapons and how they can be used to kill zombies. Lee flipped open the knife and examined it, making the sunlight reflect off the sharp edge and illuminate the dark stress circles that had formed under his eyes. He closed it again and slipped it into his pocket. "Thank you. I will be more prepared for next time."

Satisfied that Lee wasn't rattled too badly, Gaara nodded and turned away to lead them on to the next building.

By the time they reached the end of the block, there were no roofs for them left to jump on and they had to make a quick run down the side of a building, leaping onto the roof of a car, and dashing across the backyard of a school to get to the next street. Most of the zombies after them were left behind clawing uselessly at the sides of buildings or stuck behind cars. Gaara killed a few walkers on the street, trusting Lee to watch his back.

They were now at the back of a residential area with pre-fab houses. The zombie groups were thinner here with most of the houses empty already after the mass evacuation. One of the houses had a 'SOS' painted on the roof and on the wooden fence running around it. Gaara spotted the sign but moved past it without looking inside. They couldn't afford to take survivors with them.

"Wait-! Gaara," Lee caught the redhead by the shoulder and turned toward the SOS house. He whipped his head around, but he thought they could afford to pause for a few seconds before any zombies caught up to them. "We should look inside and see if anyone needs help. They might still be alive."

Before Gaara could argue, Lee had hopped the fence and was making his way to the front door. He pulled his bat out, just in case the people inside had already been infected. He opened the door and peered inside.

"Don't!" Gaara called in vain, shaking his head when Lee was already over the fence. The idiot was going to get himself killed running off like that. He had no choice but to follow after him, bracing himself on the side of the fence and jumping it with more difficulty than Lee. He hurried to the front of the house just in time to see Lee poking his head inside the door.

Inside the house, there was an eerie sense of normalcy with the smell of eggs frying and air freshener greeting the two men. That is, until someone with long hair and a long knife rushed towards them from the kitchen with a cry.

Gaara heard the cry outside and grabbed hold of Lee's pack, yanking the other man backwards and cursing under his breath at Lee's impulsiveness.

"Woah, woah!" Lee stumbled back on the porch as Gaara yanked him, narrowly avoiding the swing of the stranger's knife. Lee held up his bat with both hands in front of him, trying to ward off the assailant. Whoever it was, they couldn't be a zombie! Zombies don't use weapons! "Wait, wait, do not do that!"

The stranger backed up, keeping the knife held between them as she panted, her feet spread in a defensive stance in the doorway of the house. She examined them with cold, dark eyes, her lips in a tight line as her nostrils flared with her sharp breath. "Are you sick? Are you here to help us?" She said slowly, in a matured voice that was bordering on masculine.

"No to both." Gaara replied, glaring at Lee as he let go of the man's pack. He lowered his voice as he berated the taller man. "She obviously can take care of herself. Let's go."

"First of all, I can hear you and I'm not a girl," the stranger said, lowering his knife when it didn't seem like the other men were a threat but keeping it between them. Something thumped from inside the house, making the man's eyes narrow slightly. "Who are you? If you're not here to help, what do you want?"

"No, we do want to help," Lee said, settling Gaara with a quick scowl and then trying to seem earnest for the stranger. He slowly lowered his bat and took a look over his shoulder nervously. He could hear moaning, and he was sure they would be seen if they stayed in one place for much longer. "We have a safe house just a couple streets from here, with clean water and food. How many are with you? How long have you been here? Is anyone hurt?"

The man narrowed his eyes tightly and glanced over Lee and Gaara's shoulders. He stepped aside in the doorway and gestured for them to come inside. "Get in quick, before you draw them here."

With the moans coming closer and Lee refusing to go, Gaara uttered a short groan and crossed his arms. "We'll only stay a few minutes. We need to finish our route." He said, following after Lee and the other man inside the house. The feminine looks of their host didn't even surprise him with the horde on his mind.

Another thump resounded in the house, but the stranger didn't pay attention to it, instead looking over the two of them with a furrow growing between his brows. "Tell me who you are and where this safe house is before I answer any of your questions."

"We can't let you know where the safe house is." Gaara interjected, throwing a warning glance at Lee. The thumping noise had him on edge, and heightened his wariness of the stranger. Lee was being too nice and helpful when they didn't know a thing about why the man was signaling for help. "We were only passing through when we saw the SOS signs."

The man was silent for a moment before he sighed. "My name is Haku. I've been staying with my friend, Zabusa since the outbreak."

"So it is just the two of you?" Lee glanced at Gaara when he heard the thumps, and saw that he noticed it, too. Lee raised his brows, both questioning the noise and feeling hopeful that he wouldn't get too much trouble from Gaara in helping Haku and Zabuza. There was only two of them after all, so their group wouldn't be very large. "If you can both run, I am sure that it would not be difficult for us to take you with us."

"Do you have any medicine at your safe house?" Haku asked suddenly, frowning. Another thump resounded in the house, louder this time. It was becoming obvious that Haku was ignoring it, not oblivious to it. "Has the CDC or anyone from the government found a way to treat the outbreak yet?"

"Are... are you infected?" Lee asked slowly, frowning and feeling his hopes begin to sink.

"No." Haku didn't blink, his gaze sharp and demanding answer.

"There hasn't been word from the CDC. We don't have a cure either." Gaara replied, meeting Haku's sharp gaze with a stoic look. "If you're sick, we have basic medicine available but we can't risk having you join us."

Haku wasn't giving them any assurance with what little he said. Gaara stepped a little closer to Lee and the way back out, preparing to grab his companion or fight if Haku made any moves towards them. At least Lee didn't give out their names yet. As another thump sounded off, catching Gaara's attention towards the kitchen. There was a bolted door there either leading to the pantry or a cellar. When the next thump came, it was accompanied by the tell-tale moan of the undead. Gaara's neck hairs rose. "You have a zombie in your house?" He snapped.

Haku reacted as soon as he saw Gaara looking at the door. He stepped in the way of his gaze and gripped his knife tighter. "None of your business."

Lee's eyes slowly widened in understanding. He gripped Gaara's sleeve tightly, and took a step back. The full threat of the potential danger they were in finally occurred to him, and he had to swallow his dry throat with some difficulty before he could speak. "Mr. Haku... I am sorry, but those who are already infected cannot be helped. Is... is that your friend? Zabuza? He-"

"None of your business," Haku repeated sharply, taking half a step forward and squaring his jaw. Strands of his long hair were falling into his face as he tilted his head, filtering the wild edge to his dark, narrowed eyes. "You two should go. Now. If you don't have a cure for the infection, then you're useless to me."

Lee shuddered as he heard the long, dragging sound of nails on the other side of the bolted door. He backed up to the front door, not letting go of Gaara's sleeve until they were outside again and took off at a run.

* * *

The sky was burnt orange and turning purple far to the east. Gaara knew it would be a few hours before it grew completely dark. Looking down at the street, the redhead was relieved to see that most of the walking dead had dispersed from the time Lee fired his gun. Most of the convenience stores they passed by also seemed fully stocked aside from a few that were already raided.

They still had time to head back to the mall while there was daylight, and after the day's scouting and the encounter with Haku, they'd stopped to rest and finally eat. The heels of Gaara's sneakers hit against the rooftop ledge as he glanced at Lee from the corner of his eyes. Lee had been quiet from the time they fled from Haku's house until the end of their mapping.

Unwrapping the lunch pack Hinata made for them, he pushed one of the containers towards Lee and took the other for himself. Instant curry and rice had never smelled as good as it did now.

Lee paused for a few long seconds, examining the length of his bat while his mind wandered. The blood stains in the aluminum had long darkened into a brownish-black, splattered in a sick design that made his stomach churn. He finally set it aside and picked up his half of Hinata's lunch, opening the container slowly and picking at a few pieces of rice. He wanted to eat, since it would be a waste to throw it away and it would probably hurt Hinata's feelings if he brought his lunch back uneaten. At the same time, it was too hard for him to swallow more than a couple grains at a time.

"We could have taken Haku back with us," Lee murmured quietly. He seemed to be speaking into air.

Gaara chewed his rice slowly, wondering why Lee's change in demeanor bothered him so much. They'd all gone through stages of depression and denial, but it always seemed like Lee was the one who wouldn't break. Not when there was still hope of seeing their families again. Swallowing, he exhaled through his nose. "It was his choice to stay." He replied just as quietly. "...We should have killed his friend. Then he could move on."

Lee blinked quickly and lifted his head, looking at Gaara in shock. "What? But he cared about his friend, probably even loved him. That is why he stayed! It... it would have been horrible if Haku knew that we had hurt him, much less bashed his head in!" Lee frowned. "Is there no one you would have stayed for, if you were in his position?"

Gaara's lips tightened briefly, but he looked away when he replied. "A zombie isn't human anymore. If you stay, you'll only end up bitten or rot away while clinging to the past." He stirred his curry into the rice, letting the flavor seep into the white grains. "If I were bitten, I wouldn't want anyone to stay with me. I'd do what Shino did to save them. If my family members were bitten, I'd rather kill them with my own hands than see them turn."

Jaw hanging limply, it was a few seconds before Lee could think of what to reply. The thought of Shino's sacrifice weighed heavy on his mind whenever he was mentioned. Lee finally picked up his spoon and scooped some of his food into his mouth and swallowed. "I could not do that. If I were bitten, I would want to do what Shino did as well, but... If someone I cared about was infected, I could not bring myself to hurt them even then. Zombies are... they are still human. I know they are. They were someone's family, and they had jobs, and they went to school, and they had emotions and could feel pain before they died."

"Stop fooling yourself." Gaara said, his voice calm despite his words. "Whoever they were before they died, that person isn't there anymore. They don't feel pain or emotion, just a hunger to bite and spread the virus." He ate another spoonful of curry and rice before turning to the other man. "You told me once that you wouldn't hesitate to protect Tenten. And me. What if I became a zombie and was going to bite Tenten? What would you do?"

Lee hesitated. He felt almost indignant with Gaara's opinion and questioning, but at the same time he knew that what he was asking was completely relevant. It was even possible. If Tenten were in danger and Lee had the choice of letting her be hurt or saving her, he knew what option he would take. "I would kill you. I would hate doing it, but I would protect Tenten." Lee took a couple large bites of his curry and shook his head. "I do not ever want something like that to happen. We have few enough friends left already, I would not want to kill one to save another."

"But you would if it was necessary." Gaara was satisfied with Lee's answer. It didn't comfort him, but it was enough to see that Lee still had his priorities straight. He fell silent as he continued to eat, feeling strangely sensitive to the other man's unhappiness. He'd inevitably grown closer to Lee and Tenten out of everyone in their group.

Breathing in the cool afternoon air, he cast a glance in the direction of his home. There were still zombies gathered at the lower end of the street, but that safe house was still an option for them. If his family was still alive... Gaara swallowed. They wouldn't stay in one place either. Just as he put his survival over others, so would his father and siblings. They could take care of themselves.

"...I could have stayed in my building." He said, speaking before he could stop himself. "My brother and sister were somewhere inside, but I had to leave them."

Lee swallowed the rice in his mouth and looked at Gaara out of the corner of his eye. The redhead was always so guarded and reserved at all times, it was rare to hear him voice concerns about people he knew before the outbreak, or his life before. If their conversation wasn't so dark, Lee would almost feel touched. "If your family is anything like you, they would have wanted you to be safe without them," Lee said. He stirred the last dregs of his lunch and pushed it all into one corner of his container as he spoke. "If they are anything like you, I am sure they are strong and resourceful enough to be safe."

Gaara lifted one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. "I know." Fighting his way out of the building had been a necessity, but he would have wanted to search for his siblings given the chance. "It doesn't matter. I will do what it takes to survive. One day, I will go back and look for them if they have been turned or not. Even if it's the last time I'll see them." He ate the last spoonful of his lunch pack and began setting everything back into place. Lee and Tenten, and everyone who live somewhere else were lucky. They could still hope to return to their old lives if they found their families alive. He didn't want to think about it, but he had a sinking feeling in his gut that his were already long gone.

Lee could only nod. He scooped the last bite with his spoon and ate it, his mind lingering on Haku's face before they'd left. The look in his eye had been bordering on manic and there was no hope that his situation would result in anything but a tragic end, but... Lee couldn't help respecting Haku. He must have had a real, powerful heart to care so much about his friend, loyalty, dedication... Lee admired his conviction. Would it be easier for a person to make up their mind to stay no matter what the consequences, or to constantly ponder between one hopeless choice over another? Would it be easier on a person's heart to feel that zombies were still human, and still had something inside that made them the person they used to be, or to accept that there was nothing left of them now but the virus and bloodlust?

"We will make it through this." Lee packed away his empty container and re-strapped his bat to his back. He stood tall on the rooftop and put his hands on his hips, facing the sunset with his chin up. "If we can just survive for as long as possible, human beings can conquer anything! We just have to Work Hard, and never forget our goals and passions. Springtime still exists, it is just more difficult to obtain now! But we can still reach it if we help each other."

Gaara thought Lee couldn't get any weirder until right now. He stared up at Lee with an even gaze, just listening to his breath and the silence this high up on the building. Then he snorted and stood up as well, hiding the small twitch of his lips by slipping the lunch pack inside his knapsack. "Okay." He replied, slinging the pack on his back again. Lee's optimism was hard to understand, but it was easier to accept compared to Naruto's. He didn't need to make sure everyone saw it his way.

Turning towards the sunset, he tried seeing things from Lee's eyes for a moment but only saw a fading horizon and the incoming night. His eyes hooded as he murmured, "Go on believing that. You can leave everything else to me."


	3. Chapter 3

"Um, hello, Miss Sakura," Lee could feel the heat in his cheeks, so he knew they were turning red. Of course that was making him flush worse. He stepped into the doorway of what used to be a natural-health store in the mall, but has since been converted into Sakura's medical station. She had raided all possible medical supplies she could find, and was doing regular checks on each of the survivors to make sure they weren't experiencing any flu-like symptoms. Since no one was entirely sure how the virus spread- aside from biting- it was a safety precaution as well as research for her to examine everyone.

The medic looked up and raised her brows in surprise. "Oh, those are pretty, Lee."

Lee had found the mall's flower store, and had collected all the roses he could find that weren't already wilted and dying since the outbreak. There had been just over a dozen in a refrigerator at the back of the shop. He had even tied a bow around their stems, but now he worried that he had overdone it and was coming on too strong. These things always occurred to him when it was too late!

"What are they for?" she asked, looking back down at her notebook and making a couple of pen marks. She gestured for him to take a seat, just as Tenten was getting up. They'd already finished Tenten's check up. She winked at Lee as she passed him in the doorway and gave him a knowing smile, which almost made him swallow his tongue with embarrassment.

"I just, um, found them. Some of them are pink and they made me think of your hair- so- um! C-can I set them somewhere?" Lee realized he was acting like a dork, so he settled for closing his loud mouth and smiling. It probably wasn't helping the situation however, because his smile was too wide and looked uncomfortable on his face.

Sakura glanced up at him and nodded, gesturing to the far coffee table. "It looks like there were some flowers in that vase, but they're dead by now. You can replace them if you want."

"Th-thanks." Lee put his head down and walked stiffly over to the vase, and switched out the flowers. He threw the old ones in a nearby trash bin.

"How's your breathing? Any sign of congestion?" Sakura asked, setting down her pen as she shuffled her papers together neatly. All of the survivors in the mall had a file here for a record of their health. If anyone suddenly became infected, she'd have to see what prompted it. Sakura slipped the papers in her drawer before facing her visitor. "Thank you for the flowers," she added.

"You are welcome." Lee took a seat put his hands on his lap, watching Sakura as she organized her papers appropriately. He smiled widely, hoping that he hadn't gone overboard after all. Maybe he could even pull out the haiku he'd written for her... "I have not had any problems with my breathing. In fact, all this practice with running has helped me build my stamina, and I do not get stitches in my sides as often as I used to."

"Hmm, that's good. I'm worried about this coming winter, but we should be okay as long as there are blankets and coats for everyone." Sakura cocked her head to the side as she pulled out Lee's file, her long bangs falling down her cheeks as she noted down Lee's remarks. "You and the rest of the teams that go out often need to take good care of yourselves. I'm not having another Naruto incident on my hands." Glancing up at Lee, she blinked at the wide smile on his face before meeting it with her own.

"Sorry for the lecture. When I'm in the clinic I don't usually have social visits. Was there anything you wanted?" she asked.

"Yes! Um," Lee paused, twiddling his thumbs while his mind raced. She was smiling at him! That had to be a good sign, right? Right! He should tell her what his intentions were. Maybe even ask her on a date! She'd liked the flowers after all. Lee took a deep breath, then sat straight up in his chair and gave her a bright thumbs-up. "I promise to protect you with my life! I am glad that we met, even if it is because of the zombie outbreak!"

Sakura's mouth parted slightly in shock and her cheeks flushed in a mix of embarrassment and alarm. She hadn't expected to receive a confession when they were in the middle of surviving the epidemic! A bout of silence fell as the woman fidgeted with the folder in front of her, broken when she cleared her throat. "I'm flattered you feel that way, Lee. You're a really nice guy." She ran her fingers through her hair before turning to the other man. Lee wasn't handsome the way her ex-es were or even her type. But he still held on to the same morals she did, probably even more. And he was sweet.

A look of decisiveness came to her eyes when the reality of the outbreak came to mind again. "Look, I like you. You've been a good friend since you came. Maybe it's too early for anything else? I'd like to get to know you more though."

"O-of course, Miss Sakura." Lee's posture wilted, and his thumbs-up dropped as his broad smile melted. He must have said too much after all. But it wasn't a total rejection, right? She called him a nice guy, and it wasn't unreasonable to want to get to know each other better. They would have plenty of opportunities here in the mall to do that. Lee tried not to look too down-hearted as he clasped his hands on his lap and glanced at the flowers on the other side of the room. "I understand completely. If you need me for anything, I promise I will be there."

"Thank you, Lee," Sakura said, feeling bad for causing Lee's downcast expression. But even if Lee wasn't proposing anything yet, it was a relief to know that he wasn't going to push her to respond to whatever feelings he had. Tentatively, she reached out and patted Lee's clasped hands. "Tell you what. Join Naruto, Sai and me for lunch. You can bring some of your friends too. It would be good for all of us to spend time together outside of planning our next food run."

Lee perked immediately, rejection dismissed for now. He smiled and took Sakura's hand, squeezing. He was surprised by the callouses he felt on the pads of her palm and fingers. It only strengthened his opinion of Sakura as someone reliable and hard working, earning her more respect and admiration in his eyes.

"That is a brilliant idea! You are an angel. Everyone in the mall should be spending more time together anyway, to get to know each other and strengthen our bonds outside of survival needs!" Not to mention that this _almost_ kinda sounded like a date, or at least in the ballpark of one, despite the company they would have. "I will try to bring Tenten and Mr. Sabaku. Maybe even Miss Hinata, if she isn't busy with Kiba again."

Sakura smiled at Lee kindly and pulled her hand back with a twitch in her lips. He shouldn't have held her hand without warning! But just as it was too soon to date _anyone_ in their safe house, it was too soon for her to unleash her inner self on him. Besides, Lee was an unconscious flatterer. "Alright, we'll meet at the atrium by noon. Don't be late!"

Stressing her last sentence with a finger pointing at Lee sternly, she relaxed in her seat and picked up Lee's file. "Now about your last check-up..."

* * *

"So this guy calls me and keeps telling me that his internet's broken. I ask him if his modem is on and he tells me to quit making up stuff and fix his computer for him." Naruto laughed, nearly spilling the last dregs of his bowl of instant noodles on those beside him. Apparently a former customer care specialist for a large computer firm, he had a lot of funny stories that lifted the mood throughout the whole lunch. "Then there was this other caller who couldn't 'click' his files because he didn't even have his monitor set up."

While everyone chuckled in the small group, Hinata was already packing away the empty containers with Sakura going around and passing plastic cups of water.

"That was the best meal I've had in weeks." Tenten sighed in satisfaction after chugging down her cup of water. She clapped Lee's shoulder, glancing at Sakura then back at her friend with a grin. "You owe me a story on what happened. You've been sneaking glances at her all afternoon," she murmured.

Gaara tilted his head towards the two, looking at them from the corner of his eyes. How anyone could think of finding a partner in this situation, he couldn't imagine. "Are you dating her now?" He put in without bothering to lower his voice. Sipping his cup of water, he gathered the leftover containers and handed them to Hinata, nodding at the girl's smile.

Lee made a choking noise into his water and hunched his shoulders with mortification. He coughed roughly and swallowed, shaking his head vehemently as he glanced between his friends. "Uh, I am-" Lee coughed again and cleared his throat, throwing and embarrassed glance at Sakura when she looked at him only a few feet away. He ducked his head to hide his blush as he replied in a hush. "No, I am not! I will, um, explain in a bit."

Tenten snickered at her friend's expense, but patted his back while he coughed and pulled his cup out of his hands to keep him from spilling it until he was done. She passed her dishes to Hinata with a grin of appreciation. "I think we'll have to get together like this more often. It was fun! But now I think we have a few things to take care of today, so we'll get going."

"Next time I want to hear about some of the news stories you guys covered!" Naruto piped up, standing and brushing off his legs as he spoke. "If you've got any celebrity dirt, I wanna hear it!"

"That wasn't quite our forte, but we'll try to give you an interesting story." Tenten stood and gestured to her friends to join her toward their section of the mall. Hinata walked away with Sakura to finish clean up, while Naruto and Sai began bickering about whose shift it was to cover the radio broadcast. Lee stood and followed Tenten, wishing his cheeks weren't so red as he watched Sakura walking out of the corner of his eye.

Gaara followed quietly after the two as they headed into the east wing of the mall, then down to the second floor. They'd all chosen specific spots in the mall where groups of three stayed at. They ended up close-knit within their groups while keeping their numbers spread out just enough to keep watch. Since their group joined the survivors at the mall, they'd been able to clear out the upper floors and supermarket. Gaara, Lee and Tenten stayed close together, assigned a place where Gaara had room to swing his clubs in case zombies got past the wire fence and the doors in front.

The redhead listened as Tenten began ribbing Lee once they were out of earshot. "Okay now spill. Did she fall for your manly charms and bright white grins?" Tenten nudged Lee with her elbow. "We want to know everything, right Mr. Sabaku?" She leaned back and hooked an arm around the redhead, bringing him closer between her and Lee.

"I have no interest in them fucking." Gaara deadpanned, uncomfortable with Tenten's handling. It reminded him of Temari on her good days.

Tenten's cheeks flushed and she looked away quickly. "Ugh not like that." Tenten wrinkled her nose and pressed a fist against her mouth to stifle the snorts, knowing how this must be killing Lee inside. "Besides, Lee's not exactly the type to have sex so soon."

"No, never!" Lee slapped his hand against his face, red to the ears with embarrassment. He defended himself indignantly. "That is not my intention! The youthful flowering of love is something pure and wonderful, not full of- of- selfish and ignorant lust! That is not what I feel for Miss Sakura."

"You've always been the romantic type." Tenten rolled her eyes knowingly. "So? Seriously, how'd it go?"

"She liked the flowers I gave her, so I thought it was a good sign and I confessed. She did not accept my feelings completely, but she did not reject me either." He ducked his head, smiling with hopeful optimism. "I think she was surprised. She made a good point about just getting to know each other for a while, and I did not want to overwhelm her, so I did not share my poetry after all."

"Poetry won't get you anywhere," Gaara put in, pulling out of Tenten's hold but keeping the pace between the two. Turning his head to face the taller man, he felt his throat constrict briefly before speaking words someone had told him not so long ago. "You're thinking in movie standards. I've never met anyone who did those things in real life. If you'd asked her right upfront she might have said yes."

Tenten's eyebrows raised at Gaara's uncharacteristic advice, but laughed it off and poked Lee's side from behind. "Well it's good that she didn't reject you. No matter what Mr. Sabaku says, I still think it was a sweet gesture. I heard that she'd been asked out a lot before...before it hit, but only had one steady boyfriend. She doesn't talk about it much." Tenten's eyes unfocused for a moment. It couldn't be helped, but it hurt to be constantly reminded of what was lost when the epidemic hit.

They'd reached the small cluster of shops situated at a circular dead end where mattresses were laid out. Gaara went ahead of the others and curled up in one of the sofas they'd placed around their area, crossing one leg wide over the other. Next to him was a table with a pile of books and a mechanical crossbow laid out on top.

Lee plopped down onto his mattress, criss-crossing his legs and sitting up with a thoughtful look on his face. "I can believe that Miss Sakura was very popular. She is very pretty! And she is smart, and I cannot imagine why anyone would dislike her." Lee pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it, fidgeting with it in his hands. His cherry red blush had finally died down to a fond dusting of pink on his cheeks. "I just want to show her my youthful intentions. Meeting someone like her right now of all times, in the middle of such disaster is like finding springtime in a barren desert!"

Tenten held out her hand with a knowing grin, gesturing to the paper. "Can I see?"

Lee handed it to her without hesitation, smiling with shy pride. "It is just a haiku."

"Pretty Sakura," Tenten read out loud slowly. "Your pretty hair makes me think... Of pretty flowers."

Gaara's eyes lidded in unspoken exasperation. This wasn't the first time Lee voiced his attraction to the pink-haired girl. "This isn't the right time to start a relationship with anyone," he said levelly, picking up the crossbow and polishing its surface. One of the stores they were next to was a hobby shop. A hunting hobby shop that is. And the three of them had been learning how to handle different, less noisy weapons.

"Aww, don't say that," Tenten chided. She smiled and handed the poem back to Lee. "It's simple but carries the point across. If you want, I could ask her what she thinks of you. It's the least I could do for my best friend." Thinking out loud, she glanced over at Gaara. "By the way, I've noticed how you're much nicer to Hinata than to anyone else."

Lee tucked his haiku back into his pocket and turned his attention toward Gaara. The redhead was always naturally negative, but Lee had gotten used to it by now and liked to think that Gaara's responses were automatic and he didn't mean every word.

"Miss Hinata is a very sweet girl," Lee said, smiling in approval. "What do you think of her, Mr. Sabaku? Is she the kind of girl you have dated in the past?"

Gaara lifted the crossbow scope to eye level, aiming it at a target hanging on the far wall. "Hinata needs to learn how to protect herself. She's kind, but still ignorant of many things." He fired the bolt, hitting the outer ring of the target to his disappointment. "I've never dated anyone like her." He reset the hinge and set it back down on top of the books. One of these days, he'd be able to shoot the middle on the first try. Rolling his shoulders back, he regarded Lee and Tenten with a quiet intensity in his eyes. "I've never dated women."

Eyes widening slightly, Tenten blanched at Gaara's reply. "You've never dated anyone? Wow, I'm surprised! I thought girls were all over you." And, she thought, Gaara was in the realm of 'edgy, handsome, and very pretty.' The quiet, broody type that women of all ages tended to mother, whatever their stand on feminism was.

Simply shrugging one shoulder, Gaara licked his dry lips and plucked a book from the pile. "Hinata's not my type," he said, leaving Tenten to her assumptions.

Lee sat up and raised his bushy brows in surprise. "I thought you would have had a girlfriend before. You do not seem to me like the kind of guy who would date many different people unless you honestly liked them, but you are really attractive and smart, so I thought there might have been _some_ girl who wanted to be with you."

"There was. Were. They weren't my type," Gaara said, fingering the thin book spine and looking for the fold he'd made earlier. He was already at the chapter detailing the right conditions to fire a crossbow; the redhead planning to put theory into action as soon as he could.

Tenten scratched her temple in confusion. She wasn't going to give up on this line of conversation though. It was rare for Gaara to entertain this much questioning, even if Lee told her the other man opened up to him once. "Okay...I hope you let them down easy, Mr. Sabaku. So what _is_ your type?"

Gaara had a small stiff frown and a strange look on his face that settled back into stoicism. Their questioning was starting to irritate him. "Someone who can understands boundaries," he replied, glancing up from the book and frowning at Tenten. "A man prepared to die for his beliefs.

There was a short pause, then Lee jumped in his seat with a loud "Oh!" of understanding as he registered what Gaara had said. No wonder Gaara had said that he hadn't dated any _women_.

"Well, those are noble things to look for in another person." Lee put a hand on his chin thoughtfully and tucked his pillow onto his lap. "Although I suppose a person like that would be more difficult to find than someone such as Hinata. During a time like this though, those people will stick out now more clearly than ever."

Lee flopped back on his mattress, still holding his pillow against his stomach as he stared up at the ceiling tiles and mused out loud, his voice hopeful and his expression romantic. "Maybe it is just movie standards in the end, but I believe that love will always find a way. It may take hard work to see it through is all. You may still meet a man who understands your boundaries and has passionate beliefs."

Gaara snorted and went back to reading. Relationships were the least of his priorities now. He firmly believed that Lee's crush on Sakura would only breed heartache if something happens to her. He just didn't know if he'd be willing to stick around when it did.

* * *

A cloud of dust rose up as Gaara finished loading another box of canned goods on their cart. Dusting his hands and sneezing a few times, he followed after Hinata to the next aisle.

"Shikamaru said the generator's almost out. We need to get as many supplies in the upper floors as possible," Hinata chirped as she made a note on her pad. She had her long hair tied in a ponytail, and Gaara could see the mild sheen of sweat forming on the back of her neck. She was being brave in front of him, but they could both hear the banging and moaning outside the supermarket doors. The undead had redoubled their efforts when they saw the two moving inside. "Do you think anyone would want chips?"

"Choji would," Gaara said, heading into the next aisle first and sweeping the row of cans into a duffel bag. He eyes darted towards the doors every so often. If the fiberglass broke, he was ready to grab Hinata and make a run for the back door. "We should hurry. Pick only the most important items on your list and we'll do another run next time."

"O-Okay." Hinata gripped her pad tightly and let out a frightened squeak when there was a particularly loud bang on the doors.

Both made quick work of what they could carry and load in the service cart. Gaara was silently thankful that they'd cleared this place of walkers and bodies long ago, though the floors were still dirty with dried blood. Just as Hinata reached the drinks section, she turned around to call the redhead. Gaara felt an icy panic when he saw her feet skid on the melting ice from the refrigerators and Hinata slipping backwards onto the metal edge of the fridge.

There was no time to think as he dropped everything, running quickly over the tiles and sliding onto his knees to grab her arms. The motion propelled them around until Gaara's back hit the floor with a painful thud and Hinata's forehead snapped against his chin.

Hardly a second passed before Kiba swung around the corner of the isle, drawn by the crashing sound of fallen cans and the hearty _thump_ from their landing. He'd been standing in a place where he could see the primary doors and the zombies outside, acting as guard and look out while Gaara and Hinata collected supplies. When he saw Hinata in Gaara's arms, he rushed quickly down the aisle in panic and wide eyes. His nostrils flared.

"Hinata?! What happened, are you okay?" He leaned over the two, reaching out as if to take her from Gaara.

Hinata pushed up from where she'd landed on Gaara and cringed when her forehead throbbed. "I'm...I'm fine, Kiba. I think I slipped-" When she opened her eyes and found Gaara staring up at her through pained slits, she blushed and quickly got to her feet. "I'm so sorry!" she cried, turning pink.

Groaning faintly, Gaara sat up and rubbed at his chin, blinking his eyes at the ringing in his ears. Hinata's apologies were too high-pitched and had him reaching out to hold her wrist. "Stop. It wasn't your fault," he said, pushing himself up. A quick assessment of Hinata had him exhaling in relief at the lack of any wounds. There would probably be bruises, but she wouldn't be getting infected from the dried blood on the floor. "Calm down."

"Thank goodness." Ever since they'd lost Shino, Kiba had developed a protectiveness over Hinata that bordered on overreaction most of the time. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed tightly. His heart was still thumping in panic. The groans and thuds against the windows from the zombies wasn't doing anything to help calm his nerves either. "Try to be more careful, okay? It freaks me out when I see you in some other guy's arms. I'm the only one who can hold you like that, alright?"

Kiba's words were almost teasing, except for the serious, stern glare he gave Gaara from over Hinata's shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I'll try to be more careful next time." Hinata said, relieved to find her tone shaking only once. Her knees and forehead ached from catching her weight on Gaara, but Kiba's concern for her and Gaara's hand on her wrist heightened the situation. She and Kiba couldn't afford to lose each other the way they'd lost Shino. Gently squeezing Kiba back, she murmured, "It's okay. I'm okay. Gaara caught me."

Gaara let go of Hinata's hand when Kiba's gaze narrowed at him. Kiba's protectiveness gave him a sick feeling in his stomach at how much he could empathize with it. The bump to his head didn't help matters, and he spoke to the other man in a quiet voice. "She won't survive long on her own if she keeps relying on other people. And you can't always be there to protect her."

Hinata's back stiffened at his harsh words, the girl looking over her shoulder with hurt and surprise. "Please don't say that. I can take care of myself too."

Kiba's arms tightened and his nostrils flared at Gaara lividly. "Don't say shit like that. You sound like an ass. Everyone here relies on _each other_."

Finally unwinding himself from Hinata, Kiba picked up one of the fallen bags and began stuffing cans into it quickly. He avoided the ones that had gotten covered in old blood, but the others they could clean later just to be safe. "If every person here could only take care of themselves, we'd have all died by now."

Hinata hesitated, then followed suit and picked up another bag to fill. Outside, the groans seemed to get louder as more zombies gathered around the windows.

That hadn't been what Gaara intended or meant to say. Lips thinning, he felt like he was back in high school when he couldn't relate with anyone. "If you care about her, then teach her how to fight. Or I'll do it myself," he said, walking away from the two to get their abandoned service cart.

Stressed by the tension between the boys and the aches she still felt, Hinata withdrew into silence and just quickened her movements.

Kiba stewed to himself as he quickly collected food stuffs and stacked the bags in the cart. He occasionally paused to take a look at each of the exits and the windows, still acting as guard while he tried to speed up their work. His eyes were narrowed in stress and frustration.

Why did Gaara have to spend so much time around Hinata? Kiba hadn't tried to stop the two from spending time together, since Hinata was a grown woman and could make her own decisions without needing his permission, but to be honest it pissed him off sometimes. Gaara was too cold to be around someone as soft hearted as Hinata. He kept saying things that would upset her, such as the comment about her survival, or asking about the packs after losing Shino.

When the cart was finally full, they pushed it toward one of the doors quickly. While Hinata guided the way, Kiba stepped up and put an arm around her shoulder. He momentarily pretended Gaara wasn't there. "You're already really strong, Hinata. We'll keep practicing and make sure we keep in shape."

"Thanks Kiba." Hinata's eyes were downcast and haunted, but there was a stiffness in her movements as they hustled up towards the mall. "But Gaara's right. l-I can't be a burden to anyone. I need to be stronger." She looked up at Kiba and her lower lip trembled. If Kiba was in trouble, she didn't think she would be able to fight off any zombies attacking him or even hold her own. Not even her long time friend knew that she had nightmares of Shino's death and woke up with a cold sweat and her voice caught in her throat.

She glanced back at the redhead, simultaneously saddened by his attitude and admiring his firm pragmatism. Kiba always protected her, always hid the world's problems from her. It had been refreshing to find someone who didn't sugarcoat anything, who was brutally honest with everyone.

"Can you teach me how to handle a weapon?" she asked quietly, looking back at Kiba.

Kiba's eyes widened, then tightened. He took a breath, flashed an irritated glare over his shoulder at Gaara, then squeezed Hinata's shoulders with a nod.

"Yeah," he said, letting go of her and stepping forward to hold open a door. "I'll teach you to use a weapon. We'll pick out a couple, and we'll see which suits you best. If I don't do it, you'll probably go running to Gaara, anyway." The last comment was petulant, but resigned.

Gaara was silent throughout their exchange, but satisfied with their decision. The more people they had who could fight, the higher their chances of surviving. They were living in a cliche where you either killed or be killed by the undead.

* * *

"Do you really think anyone's alive in there?" Tenten whispered as she, Lee and Gaara peered from the roof of the adjacent building. Below them was a whole school yard full of zombies walking around or some, almost comically, knocking into objects around the place. They were high school students who'd been trapped inside the locked fence surrounding the yard while the undead and the virus infected them one by one. It was a horrible sight to digest, but their main mission was more important.

Someone had activated the fire alarm in the school, and almost as quickly shut it off like it had been an accident. Naruto sent out their team the minute they were ready to investigate.

Gaara scanned the school building itself with binoculars, wishing that they'd found night-vision capable ones instead. It was too dark to see anything this late at night. "The alarm came from the east wing of the school. We'll have to find a way around the yard that won't draw the horde." The school building couldn't even be reached by jumping from the surrounding roofs.

Lee was crouched a few feet away, studying the property with his eyes characteristically round in the dark. He was resisting the urge to bounce on his heels. He was eager to see if there were any survivors here. If there were, he wanted to help. He didn't want anyone to be on the run, hurt, or scared when they could be relatively safe at the mall with other people to help them.

"I could draw them upwind along one side of the fence while you sneak downwind around the other side," he suggested. He still wasn't sure how the zombies sensed the living, but if it was through smell he was confident that he could lure them one direction while Gaara and Tenten went unnoticed in the other. He pointed down the street. "I can make some noise, too. If I make it to the building on that side quick enough, I think I could climb up the fire escape and find my way back here across the other roofs."

"I'm better at fending off more than one zombie than you are," Tenten said, turning and looking at the far building Lee was talking about. The fence would hold back the horde for long enough to make that distance, easy. "You and Gaara are better at forcing your way through to get where you need to. I should be decoy."

Gaara nodded in agreement with Tenten. "If we find survivors, we're better equipped to help them out of the building. Tenten's better at spotting for us." He cocked his head towards Lee, a brief look of assessment crossing his face. "...If anyone's hurt, you can aide them while I cover for you on the ground and Tenten from above." After butting heads with Lee and Tenten on other occasions, he was starting to learn how each of them thought and worked. He was also gaining a new appreciation for their strengths. And their friendship.

Tenten smiled at Gaara's clever prodding. Hopefully, Lee's focus on possible survivors would also keep him from doing anything extreme. "It's 8:45 on my watch," she murmured, "Anyone alive in there will be wide awake and alert unless they're hurt. You guys better watch your backs even when you're past all the zombies."

Lee paused, and then nodded in agreement. He didn't like the idea of sending Tenten off on her own, but he had faith in her. She was strong, and she knew how to handle herself under pressure. "We will give you a head start, then go our direction after a moment has gone by, to give the horde time to move."

Tenten nodded. She gave each of the boys a firm pat on the back, then moved to the far right of the roof and began to lower herself down. Lee stood and went in the other direction, scouting the alley to be sure it was clear before he started to climb down.

Staying close to the other man, Gaara moved as quietly as he could towards the left side of the school. He knew Tenten was mirroring them and hoped nothing would sneak up on her while they were separated.

All of a sudden, there was a sound like glass breaking from Tenten. The woman appeared on the other side of the fence, throwing down empty bottles and cans she somehow got ahold of. The zombies raised their heads at the sound and with groaning, dragging steps, followed after Tenten's lead.

"Go." Without sparing a glance at Lee, Gaara dashed around the fenced side of the school and spotted a side door. He headed that way and went with the momentum of his run to ram his body against it. The apparently unlocked door swung open with a bang and ended with Gaara hitting the far wall instead. Teeth clenching, he inhaled deeply and waited for Lee to get inside.

Lee was just half a second behind, and had to throw his arms out to catch himself against the wall next to Gaara, almost crashing into the redhead. Lee huffed, then threw himself back at the door to close it, careful not to slam it and make noise. He turned back to Gaara, but had to squint his eyes. There were no lights on inside the school, so the only way he could see was from the flickering street lamp outside the window.

He forced his breath to slow, trying to be quiet and listen for anyone that might be nearby, alive or otherwise. He could only hear the distant moans and scuffling from outside. He lifted his hands and gestured to Gaara. Where should they go now? They were in.

Gaara's eyes were wide, trying to see in the dim light. He pointed towards the end of the hall then up. Any living or undead person still inside the school would have heard the door bang open. A quick sweep of each floor would ascertain if there were survivors still inside the building. He assumed a slight crouch and began to creep out in the hallway.

The crossbow on his back was lighter than the bag of golf clubs. Its unfamiliar weight left him feeling vulnerable. Thankfully, there weren't any zombies visible besides the dead bodies littering the floor. Even if they didn't find anyone, there had been _someone_ who'd killed those walkers.

Lee nodded in understanding. He pulled out his baseball bat so he'd have it ready if they encountered anything, but he kept light on his feet in case Gaara needed to take the lead. The crossbow would be the most quiet.

They covered the lower floor quickly, peeking through doors and around corners until they'd circled back to the door they'd entered from. They only encountered one stray zombie, and Gaara had taken it down easily at close range. They moved up the stairs slowly, and found the hall at the top empty as well.

"If there are any survivors here, they might have cleared the building," Lee whispered softly to Gaara as they rounded the corner down another hall. He opened a door with a mathematics plaque, found the room empty, and moved on. "It would explain why the place is so empty-"

Lee opened the next classroom door with a soft click, and swung it open. His eyes widened and his throat caught in shock.

Dozens of eyes turned to face the door and Gaara suddenly realized why the moans still sounded so loud inside the school. The classroom was jam-packed from end to end with the undead.

"Lee." The redhead grasped the edge of Lee's arm bandages and rasped softly, "Run." A moment after both men ran down the hallway to the stairs, the rotting bodies flowed out of the classroom in pursuit, their faces splattered with dried blood, some whose faces were torn or missing skin, jaws, or eyes, decaying flesh slopping, and the sick click of jutting bones against the tiled floor.

Gaara swung around the stair's banister and searched wildly for a safe place to run to. He didn't have the arrows or the strength to kill that many, even with Lee by his side. Running down the first floor hall, he suddenly skidded to a stop when he heard moans on the other side of the door they entered from. They were trapped!

Lee's head whipped around, searching for another way out, but there was no where to go! His heart froze in his chest as he watched the dead pour down the stairs and down the hall after them. Lee swallowed, then grabbed Gaara's elbow and dragged him toward another door.

"This way!" Lee tore open the door to the janitor's closet, which had been cracked open, and hurled himself inside, dragging Gaara in with him. The heavy door closed behind them with a loud click of the lock. Seconds later, scratching and thumping sounded against the other side, with the horrible tell-tale moans.

Lee's heart was thumping so hard it almost hurt, and his lungs heaved. The closet was incredibly small, and crowded with cleaning equipment. Lee had accidentally fallen in a tangle with Gaara, half on top of the other man with their legs twined. Lee lifted himself onto his elbows above the redhead and spoke softly to him. "I am sorry! I... I think we are trapped, Mr. Sabaku."

Gaara's hand was gripping the scruff of Lee's shirt with his elbow pressed tightly against the man's back, while he had Lee's arm gripped tightly in the other. The crossbow jutted against his back uncomfortably just as much as Lee's leg caught between his own. "Quiet." He whispered, listening to the zombies pounding on the door. When it sounded like the door wouldn't break down, he grunted and relaxed the rest of his body under Lee's to conserve energy.

Blinking in the low light, he could just make out Lee's ridiculous haircut outlined by his dark hair and the glint of his round eyes, probably mirroring his own troubled gaze. Their ragged breath sounded too loud in the enclosed space. "Don't make a sound."

"Sorry," Lee whispered again, then shut his mouth quickly. He shifted, trying to crawl off of Gaara, but quickly found that he couldn't do so without bumping into the equipment around them and making noise. He held still instead, just ducking his head against Gaara's shoulder so he could loosen his muscles without laying his entire weight on the other man. His panting slowed, but it still sounded loud in the small space.

Lee was trying not to panic. His chest and stomach were shaking in shock from the adrenalin. He didn't know what they could possibly do from here to escape. There were too many zombies outside their closet, and they wouldn't be going anywhere now that they knew Lee and Gaara were on the other side of the door. They could try to wait it out, but what could they possibly be waiting for? Help? Lee sincerely hoped that Tenten wouldn't come looking for them. She'd only be overwhelmed by the numbers in the school. Lee shifted and tried to unhook his legs from Gaara's, but only managed to bury his face in the other man's neck instead of his shoulder.

Gaara's shoulders tensed at the contact and his breath hitched in surprise. Suddenly the moans weren't the only thing alarming him. The contact was too intimate, Lee's body covering his, and he didn't even want to imagine being stuck here for who knows how long. The hand on the other man's arm tightened even more with Gaara observing how rough the bandages felt. Lee painstakingly wrapped the gauze around his arms, changing them when they were soiled but never forgetting to keep them on. No matter how much people said it made him look like he cut himself, the man was stubborn even in that with the same hardheaded insistence he employed when voicing his opinion and morals.

Another gust of Lee's breath brought him back to the present, and Gaara slowly stretched out both legs to give Lee more room to move, hopefully to get his face away from his neck. The pounding was less urgent now, but the steady sound was a reminder not to let his mind wander.

"Can you slide the crossbow out?" He whispered close to Lee's ear.

Lee shivered, his hair standing on end. He moved his arm, wrapping it around Gaara to reach the crossbow. It was in an awkward position, but he could pull it out. "Yosh, just a second," he murmured, accidentally pressing his lips against Gaara's skin while he slowly slid the crossbow out from under the other man. He shifted his legs when Gaara gave him more room, and it helped him move the bow. He finally pulled it free and propped it up against a vacuum cleaner beside them.

"Sorry, Mr. Sabaku," Lee finally managed to lift his face. He looked down at Gaara, so close that their noses were almost touching. He couldn't make out Gaara's eyes in the dark, but he could feel his breath. "I should not have pulled us in here. Maybe it would have been better if we had kept running."

When the crossbow was finally pulled out, Gaara let out a sigh of relief and rested his back full on the ground. He raised his eyes to meet Lee's gaze silently, uneasy with the hypersensitivity he was feeling wherever his body touched Lee's. It was almost impossible to believe that someone could apologize so sincerely when the man probably saved their lives. The hand gripping Lee's shirt relaxed and slid down to his shoulder unconsciously as Gaara shook his head. "There were zombies outside. You did what you thought was best." He whispered. "When opportunity comes, we'll find a way out."

"Thank you." Lee had to believe that. Gaara was the one who always had a plan, always took the lead- Lee had to have faith that they would find a way out of this. But, at the same time... he knew it was likely that they would die. His breath shuddered at the thought. They were silent for moment, while the long dragging of bloody fingers scratched at the door.

"I dropped my bat," Lee realized out loud with regret. He'd dropped it in the hall outside before they'd ducked into the closet.

Gaara's brows knotted, the feeling of being off-balanced fading with that fact. He'd bent his knees and was about to try and push them both up when the groans outside was joined by a continuous thudding sound and the unmistakable voice of Tenten making a kill. The redhead's eyes blinked wide and he pounded his fist against the heavy door.

"They must be inside that!" Tenten's muffled voice called, followed by an unfamiliar young voice replying something intelligible.

In his haste to push them up, Gaara's leg kicked out at the cleaning materials near their feet and knocked the mops down on the shelf. What followed was a series of clatters and clangs as bottles, rags, and pans rained on them.

Lee yelped and braced himself as the objects fell, smacking him on the back of the head and just about everywhere else as well. He rolled off of Gaara, making more noise as he shoved the mess aside and surged up toward the door. He got to his feet quickly, grabbing a broom and cracking open the door with a hesitant peek. "Tenten...? Are you alright?" Worry seized his chest, but he realized that it was unnecessary as he spotted his friend unharmed, holding his bat in one hand and a bloody crowbar in the other.

There were zombie bodies scattered everywhere, even piled up in some places. There were still walkers on the other side of the windows, but anything indoors seemed to have had its head smashed and broken. Standing in the hall with Tenten, armed with various weapons, were three teenage youths. Two boys and a girl, all covered with blood spatter and panting from the efforts of destroying their undead classmates.

"Do you think we got them all, Konohamaru?" the girl asked in a young voice, wiping sweat from her forehead as she leaned forward with an axe hefted in her hands. It looked like something that would be behind glass in case of an emergency.

"Everyone's dead. Oh god. Oh god." A bespectacled boy was muttering with wide eyes. The fire extinguisher he held in a death grip was covered with blood and bits of flesh.

"We did, Moegi." The last of the group rested the metal pipe on the floor and adjusted the goggles on his eyes. All three of them were skinny and dirty, and had the far-off look on their face of someone who'd killed a zombie.

Getting to his feet, Gaara pushed away the clutter covering him and pushed Lee forward to get the door open all the way. His gaze flicked towards Tenten and the young survivors before grabbing his crossbow and holding it in front of him. "Let's get out of here. Tenten, stay next to me and provide secondary cover. Lee, stay at the back and make sure we get everyone out alive."

He didn't care about knowing who the new additions were, as long as they could keep up with them and hold their own. And if anyone was bitten, well, they'd deal with that later.

The boy with goggles frowned at Gaara's curt orders. "Don't think you can just boss us around! Is this one of your friends Tenten?"

"Yes, he is, and you'll do as he says." Tenten pointed her crowbar at him pointedly. Judging the look on his face, the kid had seen first hand how powerful the woman could be. He nodded begrudgingly. The boy with glasses and the fire extinguisher shuddered and gripped his weapon tighter, while the young girl nodded and pursed her lips with a curious look at Gaara.

"You kids will be okay," Lee assured, coming out of the closet behind Gaara and reaching for his bat. Tenten handed it to him with an assessing glance and a nod. He hefted and swung his weapon with practiced ease. "We will take you to a safe place, but you need to stay alert and fend for yourselves along the way. Focus on following Gaara."

"Fine," the goggled boy affirmed. He gestured to his friends, seemingly unable to give up a leader's role altogether. "Moegi, you stay behind me. Udon, you follow at the back. I'll be right behind Tenten."

Lee nodded. The group moved down the hall to the exit door, and Lee stepped up to put his hand on the handle. The majority of the zombies outside seemed to be crowding around the windows to look at them, not the door. He could hear some on the other side, but hopefully not too many to avoid. He turned to the group, "I will hold the door and we'll file out in order, me last. Stay on your feet, and do not jostle anyone on the way out."

Gaara spared a look at Lee and Tenten, mixed feelings of gratitude and wonder that they were there to back him up. They were really starting to feel like a team now instead of just people thrown into a crisis together. "Stay close." He added, before turning and leading the group towards the exit swiftly.


	4. Chapter 4

"Get me another cold one." Naruto called towards the redhead seated across from him. Between them were the remaining crates of beer, wine and other liquors they'd all gathered from the supermarket and speciality stores in the mall. A lot of the stock had been finished up during the first month the survivors spent there, but tonight warranted a good drinking session between the two men.

Gaara snorted, picking up the nearest bottle and sat it on the crate where Naruto's feet were perched on. The refrigerators in the supermarket were the last thing they'd turned off in the mall, finally having so little reserve electricity that they'd had to live on the bare minimum.

Taking a shot of brandy himself, he stared up at the night sky and the smoke swirling in the air from Naruto's cigarette. The stars were ridiculously bright without the usual smog polluting the air. Hard to believe that nature could bounce back from human influence so quickly, while they themselves took so long to adapt and survive.

"Oi!" The door to the roof swung open with a squeak of hinges and Kiba appeared. Choji was right behind him, adjusting his scarf against the cool night air. "I went looking for a drink and all the alcohol was gone!"

"Shit, I'm probably gonna have to share now that you found us." Naruto rolled his eyes and snorted at the other men, tapping a crate with his foot. He took a swig from his beer and gestured for the others to join him. "Anyone else behind you? There won't be enough to go around if everyone wants in on this party."

"Nah. Just about everyone's asleep. I ran into Lee on the way up, but apparently he doesn't drink." Kiba plopped down beside Naruto and reached for a beer bottle, prying open the cap with a switchblade he pulled out from his pocket. He took a hearty drink and exhaled loudly with satisfaction.

"It's a nice night," Choji commented offhandedly. He took a bottle from a crate without looking and handed it to Kiba to open.

Gaara scooted his chair to the side as the two men joined them. There was some friction when his gaze met Kiba's, but it died down once the other man cracked open his bottle. "The pack of Heineken's mine." He said, claiming one of the six-packs next to him.

Choji took one of the glasses on top of the crates and began mixing his own concoction. "I wish we had some chocolate to go with this." He said, tasting the mixture with a forlorn sigh.

"The girls got all the sweets. Ino wouldn't even give me any of the dark chocolates she's got stored. Heh, she got so mad when I told her not to pig out." Kiba snickered, echoed by Naruto bursting in a fit of laughter and snorting.

"Fuck, don't do that while I'm drinking the hard stuff." Naruto complained, holding a hand to his nose and cringing as alcohol burned up his nostrils. He made a face and stubbed out his cigarette. "You'd better be prepared for her revenge man."

"I'm ready for her great ass to point my way." Kiba replied.

Choji snorted, shaking his head. The door hinges creaked, and the group turned their heads to the door. Lee's bowl cut popped through and his bushy brows were raised as he surveyed the group. Kiba raised his beer accusingly, "Hey! I thought you don't drink!"

"I do not," Lee stepped onto the roof and strolled over, glancing over the ledge at the zombies that wandered about the streets below, seemingly without aim. He frowned, uncomfortable with the sight, but smiled brightly when he turned back to the other men. "But I cannot sleep tonight. What are you all doing up here?"

"Gaara and I are making plans," Naruto sat up with a grunt of effort.

"Were. Before everyone came to drink with us." Gaara put in, setting down his empty glass. There was a strange moment when he had to avert his gaze from Lee's dark silhouette to the mall behind him, dimly lit by emergency lights. Since that day they'd found Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon, he'd noticed a change in Lee. Or maybe it was a change in what he saw in the other man. Pouring himself another glass, he turned to look out at the night sky again.

Patting a crate beside him, Choji made room for Lee to sit down in their cluttered circle. "Shikamaru should have joined us. No one's touching the sake." He said cheerfully, face already a light pink from the alcohol.

"Sit down Lee. All you nosy bastards can sit in on this meeting." Naruto grinned, leaning forward and clinking an unopened bottle with Kiba before resting his elbows on his knees and looking around at the group of friends he'd come to know as family. "I was just telling Red here that we've got enough people to start spreading out. The mall is nice and cosy, not to mention safe with the shit Deidara and Hidan have set up, but it's starting to feel like we're all just holed up and waiting to die."

Lee sat down next to Choji on a crate, smiling companionably at the other men. His smile wavered at the way Naruto worded their situation, however. "So you think we should spread out? How would that help?"

"Now that you mention it," Kiba gestured at Naruto and tapped his chin with a thoughtful look on his face. "The rots have been gathering pretty heavily around our mall. If we weren't all in one place, they might spread out, too."

"There is supposed to be safety in numbers, though." Lee's voice was unsure as he considered the idea. He spotted a can of Sprite that had gotten mixed up with the beer cans, and reached for it. "I do not like the idea of splitting up, to be honest."

"I'm not saying we have to lose contact completely." Naruto rolled his bottle between his palms slowly as he addressed the group. "We've been surviving together for this long and working together to make the best of the situation. But there's also a good chance that we're missing out on what's happening to the rest of the country. Heck, to the rest of the world! For all we know, there could be a cure or at least an uninfected zone where there are more people!"

He pointed out towards the city, at the patches of houses and buildings in the distance. "There could be groups like us out there. People who need help, or people who could help us too. Our supplies won't last forever and the city can't provide us with everything for long, but there are places where we can start a community of survivors. Places we can defend better than a mall, places we can farm and hunt so we don't have to eat shitty canned food everyday."

The blond man hiccuped at the end of his speech, but he'd made his point. Placing a hand on Gaara's shoulder, he brought the redhead's attention back to their group. "But first we need someone to lead a second group and _find_ that place. I believe Gaara can be that someone."

"You've gotta be kidding me! All Gaara wants to do is kill zombies and get people angry enough to do the same!" Kiba protested, his drink sloshing and spilling drops on his shirt.

"That is not true," Lee spoke up. He gripped his soda a bit tighter, feeling indignant on his friend's behalf. "Gaara is a good leader. He is the only reason that Tenten and I are still alive! Whenever we go out on a scouting mission, he is good at making plans and finding a safe route. He always sees the danger before anyone else can. By the time I realize there is a problem, he has already solved it! _And_ he is the reason you and I made it to this mall at all."

Kiba scowled unhappily. "My group was gonna make it to the mall before _you_ guys showed up and decided to tag along."

"But Gaara gave you a safe place to sleep with fresh food, water, beds, and even new clothes before we left," Lee pointed out. He shrugged and took a swig from his soda to wet his lips. "I am just saying that he is a good leader."

"Like his plan to charge a horde and get us all killed? I don't think so." Kiba shook his head. "If we hadn't gone with you, Shino might still be alive."

"Oh-kay, let's stop right here." Naruto cut in, frowning at the two men. "No one is to blame for any of this shit. We're all victims here so let's keep our heads cool. Understand?" He looked pointedly at Kiba until the latter snorted and grumbled his assent. "Anyway, Gaara and I haven't fleshed anything out yet. What's important is that we do what's best for the group."

Gaara, who'd been silent the whole time, popped a can of beer open and took a swig before sitting up, face stoic. If Kiba's comments bothered him, he didn't show it. "Everyone should be prepared for this plan to push through. Anyone who knows basic survival skills should teach it. Those who know how to handle weapons should do the same. If the group splits up, we need to have people with the same skills in each group."

He glanced at Kiba, aware that the other man would go wherever Hinata went. He wasn't blind to the jealousy Kiba exhibited whenever he talked to the girl. The fact was that Hinata was one of the weakest members of their group. Gaara might not be as kind about it as everyone else, but he didn't want anyone else to die either.

"You mean like hold classes?" Choji asked, scratching the back of his head. "I don't know if I can contribute anything."

Naruto had a look in his eyes that could either be a brilliant plan or trouble. "Yes, we can do that. Why didn't I think of that? I mean, all of us have something to offer. Choji, you were a chef before all of this. You can teach us how to make food out of whatever we can scrounge up. And everyone else can think of what they can offer."

Lee set his soda can down and blinked as the idea caught on. "I know some self defense. Most of it is not useful against a zombie, but it has helped me avoid some close calls. Tenten is really good at making a weapon out of almost anything when she puts her mind to it, too."

"Wilderness survival is my thing," Kiba piped up. He tipped his head back and finished his drink, then reached for another bottle. "I used to go hunting a lot."

"See! Everyone here has something we can show each other." Naruto took a drink and wiped his lips on the back of his hand. He grinned, flushing brightly from excitement and the alcohol. "We'll organize it in the morning with everyone else. Maybe even those three brats you two hauled in the other day will have something to share with us."

Naruto gestured to Lee and Gaara. Lee rolled his eyes, since he knew that despite the way Naruto spoke about Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon, he had actually grown most attached to the kids out of everyone.

"Shikamaru's been teaching Udon how to play shogi. Don't know if that counts." Choji shrugged, noticing Lee had emptied his Sprite can already. Feeling sorry for the still sober Lee, he took an Amstel light in case the man had low alcohol tolerance, and switched it with his empty can.

Gaara started to feel the thick cotton sensation in his ears after his second beer, and relaxed further into his seat. It had been a while since he really drank enough to get buzzed. The shots of brandy and beer were a good mix. With everyone's mood lifting with new ideas, he was satisfied with drinking the rest of his pack and studiously ignoring how his eyes drifted in Choji's general direction from time to time.

Lee smiled and reached for his soda can. He was preoccupied with the conversation, and didn't notice that his previously empty can was full again until he'd brought it to his lips and taken a sip. There wasn't even a pause before his cheeks flushed and his bright smile became a dopey grin. Lee began to giggle oddly, with half lidded eyes.

"Hey, Lee, you okay?" Naruto looked up and raised his brows at the giggling. It sounded creepy and weird in the darkness.

"I'm never better!" Lee suddenly jumped up from his crate and gestured widely, spilling drops of his beer over his hand. "In-in fact, ah'm gonna go kill shome bambis! 'Hic! Er, zombies! Right now! They won't shee me- 'hic'- comin'!"

Kiba's jaw dropped before he started laughing and snorting, falling off from the crate and hitting his ass on the floor. "Haha- ow-ww! Fuck, hahaha! Lee's fucking drunk after one sip!" He gasped, leaning back against the crate instead and shaking his head.

Brows drawing close, Gaara slowly set down his can and stared at the tall man. "Uh, no offense, Gaara, but you keep some weird company." Naruto muttered beside him before snickering as Kiba's laughter got to him. "He's not really gonna go off on his own, is he?"

"Expect the worst." Gaara replied with the first-hand knowledge of witnessing Lee do crazy things while _sober_.

"D-don't _worry_ Gaara," Lee said wisely, raising a dignified finger. He grinned and shifted into what might have been a fighting stance, if he weren't swaying back and forth precariously. One eye was oddly wider than the other as he hiccuped. "Ah can kill three dead-dirty-bambis with one hit! 'Hic! No- four zombies! Shix, even!"

Lee started to walk backwards, but tripped over an empty crate and fell onto his ass. He blinked widely and looked around in confusion, as if trying to figure out who'd tripped him. He swayed, and suddenly swung up into an oddly graceful crouch. "Y-you shee? They're gonna- 'hic- try to get us! So I'll get 'em first!"

The drunk grabbed an empty beer bottle and stumbled to the edge of the roof. He hurled it down into the street, and actually managed to bean a zombie across the top of its head. The sound of breaking glass and dead moans made Lee giggle while he swayed.

Sighing, Gaara locked eyes with Naruto and scowled when the blond man jerked a thumb at Lee. Apparently Lee was _his_ responsibility for being in his team while everyone else was either laughing or busy getting more drinks. "That's enough, Lee." He set down his can and headed next to the other man, tapping his shoulder once. "You're going to draw more walkers towards us."

" _Gaara_ ," Lee wrapped an arm around the other man's shoulders and leaned heavily against him with a world weary sigh. He brought their faces close together and frowned. His breath smelled like he'd had a lot more than a mere sip of beer. "You're right. 'Hic! You're too sherioush and you- 'hic- need to- to lighten up, but you're always right about this shtuff. 'Hic!"

Lee abruptly let go of the redhead and stumbled away, back from the ledge. Just when it looked like he was going to trip and fall again, he suddenly dashed toward the door in a full sprint. "I'll draw them away! Protect the others!"

Finding that the closed door was in his way, Lee simply barreled through it and continued running down the stairs.

"Oh shit, he's gone." Kiba wheezed, holding his stomach and already a shade of red from laughing.

Gaara jerked from his frozen position, his eyes still wide from Lee's face suddenly filling his vision. With a disconcerted growl, he took after the taller man and tried not to fall down the stairs as he did. Lee was going to get himself killed, then Tenten would get mad at him, and Gaara would _really_ have to kill the idiot.

"Well." Naruto declared to those left in the room. "More for us then! Grab your own crate, boys!"

* * *

"Miss Sakura?" Lee approached his crush with a bright smile and pink cheeks, as he did almost every day. She was sitting with Naruto and Sai, snacking on a granola bar while chatting with her friends. Gaara and Tenten were trailing behind Lee, with their own lunches in hand. "How are you doing today?"

"I'm fine, thanks." Sakura smiled and flipped her hair out of her eyes with a patient smile at Lee. She still hadn't quite made up her mind about how she felt about him, and had grown into the habit of half-humoring him and half-deterring him. She ate lunch with him almost every day, but always in a group with the others, never alone.

"Oh. It's caterpillar-brows, no-brows and the tomboy." Sai said, earning a smack in the back of the head by Sakura.

Tenten's eye twitched but she smiled at Sakura and set her lunch down on the table. "One day, you'll get my name right." She warned Sai before unpacking her meal on the opposite side of the table next to Naruto. She scooted over so Gaara could sit next to her, effectively leaving the only seat left across Gaara and next to Sakura. Winking at Lee, she hid a grin by looking at Naruto instead. "You'll be glad to know that Konohamaru's getting better at handling throwing knives. Even if he says it's so he can take over for you one day."

Naruto chuckled and shut his eyes into happy curves. "That kid's got spirit. Even if he keeps pulling pranks on people."

"I think you taught him half of those pranks anyway," Lee pointed out. His smile widened at Tenten's wink, and he took his seat next to Sakura. He pulled his lunch out of his shoulder bag and set it down on the table in front of him. He also pulled out a bottle of diet root beer, which he'd come to find was Sakura's favorite soda. He slid it in front of her with a blush. "I found this earlier today, and I thought you would like it."

"Oh, thanks Lee," Sakura blinked in surprise and picked up the drink. It was even her favorite brand. "I thought we ran out."

"We did, but it found that in a staff lounge while I was raiding mini-fridges." Lee pulled out his own water bottle and set it next to his lunch. "I am just sorry that it is not cold for you."

"He went through every fridge to look for it." Gaara's lips thinned as he poured a can of meat sauce over the boiled pasta he'd asked Hinata to cook for him. He mixed the red sauce thoroughly.

Sakura felt her cheeks warm and she smiled at Lee in thanks. "You didn't have to do that." She said, popping it open and setting it to the side first. "Are you learning a skill right now? I haven't gotten around to attending any of the scheduled sessions, but I've been training Moegi in first aid. She's the only one who's shown an interest in it."

"Yes, I am learning wilderness survival from Kiba, and some weaponry with Tenten and Gaara of course." Lee pulled out a can opener and removed the lid of his health soup. He'd gotten into the habit of eating the stuff cold, since it was a hassle to heat it up. He'd even learned to like it that way. "I have also been teaching a couple of people self defense methods. I would love to join you and Moegi for one of your lessons! I already know some first aid, but a refresher course would be helpful."

"Just let me know when you'd be able to join us and I'll bring out some basics I haven't reviewed with Moegi in a while," Sakura obliged.

"Lee was just telling me how much he admires your medical work," Tenten commented, gesturing to Sakura with a knowing grin at Lee. "Right, Gaara?" She nudged her friend.

Gaara had instant pasta dangling from his fork and he shot Tenten an annoyed look. Biting off the strands, he chewed and swallowed before saying, "Lee won't stop talking about you." Taking another forkful, he went back to eating while Naruto snorted into his food.

"What do you see in this flat-chested woman with a large forehead?" Sai asked, earning another thump from Sakura.

Lee's pink flush immediately turned tomato red and he purposefully averted his eyes _away_ from Sakura and her chest- flat or otherwise- and failed to keep the mortification out of his voice. Had he been that obvious? Did _everyone_ know how he felt about her? "I- I think that Sakura is a very smart, pretty, reliable person. That is not easy to find under our circumstances, but I think I would still be able to appreciate her if we had met before the outbreak."

"Thank you, Lee," Sakura said quietly, without looking directly at the man. She took a stalling bite of her granola.

"Of course!" he responded, straightening in his seat and smiling, trying to overcome his embarrassment.

Naruto snorted. "You two need to get to know each other a little better. Sakura hasn't shown you her temper of doom, and she hasn't seen you drunk."

" _Na-ru-to_." Sakura said through a gritted grin. "I only lose my temper when you're the one annoying me."

Taking pity on her friend, Tenten stepped on Naruto's foot and smiled as she switched topics, ignoring the blond man's yelp. "Where did you learn how to be a medic?"

Sakura's face brightened at the memory. "Oh! I took an apprenticeship under Dr. Tsunade. She's the best surgeon in the whole country! A lot of what I know now is based on her techniques and the lessons she taught me."

"Dr. Tsunade was a gambler and a drunk." Gaara said, recalling news articles about the woman. Tsunade was the best, before the medical world caught on to her hobbies.

Sakura's eye twitched in irritation as she regarded the redhead. Her grip clenched around her last piece of granola. "She's a brilliant doctor. Her hobbies outside the operating room have nothing to do with that."

"I am sure she was an amazing teacher if you learned so much from her," Lee said quickly, glancing at Gaara. Sometimes he wondered if the man went out of his way to say rude things. "Maybe you and I could talk about your apprenticeship later, and you could teach me some first aide that you have already covered with Moegi."

"That's okay, Lee, I can just teach you during a session with Moegi," Sakura countered deftly. What Lee was describing sounded too much like a date. Sakura took a drink from her soda and sighed in appreciation.

Gaara looked away after Lee's gaze moved on.

"You're all welcome to join me for weapon making too." Tenten added. She nibbled at the edge of her spoon, trying to make her food last longer. "I think all of us are capable in our own ways. You just need to find what you're good at and stick with it."

"That's a good attitude to have, Tenten." Naruto nodded. "With everyone working together, I'm sure we'll pull through no matter what happens."

* * *

Gaara couldn't sleep. Looking up at the dark ceiling, the redhead lay on his mattress and rubbed his forearms to ward off the incoming chill. Autumn was finally seeping into the mall's unused vents, past the thick walls and enclosed spaces where they had no way to get the heaters on again. They'd already raided the nearby gas station, and the surrounding houses, but everything would be stored for the coming winter.

He could hear Tenten's soft breath from near his head, where she'd shifted closer earlier in the night. All three mattresses were now placed next to each other, blankets combined and piled on top to provide more warmth.

Shifting in his place, Gaara slipped out one hand and stared at his palm, distractedly amazed at the callouses he now had from handling weapons so much. He was still the same person who'd gone to work everyday and tracked Kazekage Industries' top executives and their files, but he was also a zombie-killer now with a team to lead and protect.

It was easy to forget his own worries and doubts when there was something immediate he could do, or some problem to solve. Left alone, he only had the hole where his family was and the growing attachment he had for something he couldn't afford to have in his life.

"Cannot sleep?" Lee's head rose from his pillow on the other side of Tenten as he spoke softly. His eyes were glazed sleepily and his bowl cut was ruffled. It was still dark in their section of the mall, but he could just make out Gaara's outline. Lee yawned quietly.

"Nn." Gaara turned his head to look at Lee, lowering his hand back to his side. His friend looked different in the low light, more tangible and alive. He was quiet for a few seconds as Tenten uttered a small whine and burrowed her face deeper into her pillow. When her breathing deepened again, Gaara looked over her shoulder at the other man. "Are you afraid of me?" He asked in a whisper.

Lee's brows furrowed at the odd question. He rubbed an eye and tried to blink away some of his sleepiness. "Of course not," he whispered back. "Why would I be afraid of you, Mr. Sabaku?"

Gaara licked the inside of his teeth in thought. Maybe 'afraid' wasn't the right term. He looked up at the ceiling again. It was hard to put thoughts into words especially when he himself didn't know what he wanted, whether validation, an explanation, or something else. "When you first saw me kill a zombie, there was a look on your face. I've seen it on other people's faces too.

"Questioning how I could kill. Wondering if I enjoyed it," he murmured, eyes growing lidded as he spoke. "...Even if killing zombies means making sure other people live."

Lee started to reply automatically, but stopped himself as he thought about Gaara's question. He slowly shook his head back and forth as he whispered. "I guess I was a bit scared of you at first, but not anymore. It was hard to understand why you never hesitated. You made it seem easy whenever you killed them."

Lee paused and glanced down as Tenten shifted in her sleep, but she stilled after a moment and Lee continued. "Now I know you better, and I know that you do not do it because you want to."

Gaara's gaze slid towards Lee and the tightness between his brows grew faint. Lee's answer brought mixed feelings, but prominent among them was the same comfort his family usually gave him. "Not everyone wants to take action or hear bad news, even if it's the truth." He whispered. "My father taught me to do both when I was young. To observe what was happening and act without hesitation, without lies."

He slowly turned to his side and propped his head up with his arm, careful not to disturb the woman between them. He stared at Lee and took in the faint lines of his dim features. "...What was your family like?"

"I did not have much of a family," Lee murmured. He shifted and propped his head up like Gaara did, so they could talk more easily. "My parents died before I turned four, and I did not have any relatives to take care of me. I was put in foster care for a while, before the government finally found my uncle and placed me with him. I was a teenager by then, and I got into trouble a lot, but he straightened me out." Lee's sleepy expression became a nostalgic smile. The smile wavered a little when he remembered why he hadn't heard from his uncle in months. "I hope he is okay. He is a strong person, but he is also very soft hearted. I could imagine him trying to help someone who had been bitten, and getting hurt himself."

Gaara nodded in acknowledgement even if Lee probably couldn't see much of what he did in the dark. "Just like you." Inhaling deeply, the redhead felt a chill up his back and pulled the covers higher up his body. Someone else would console Lee for losing his parents at a young age, but Gaara knew what it felt like to have a deceased parent brought up again and again. "I don't think my family is still alive," he whispered. "Everyone still has hope, but the odds are small for mine."

Looking down at Tenten, he murmured in a softer tone. "You and Tenten are the closest thing to family I have left."

Lee paused in silence for a moment, touched. Gaara wasn't a sentimental person, and was always blunt with what he had to say, so Lee knew he was behind honest. "I suppose you are right," he said. He shifted and laid his head back down on his pillow, eyes drooping. "You really mean a lot to Tenten and I. I am glad we have each other. Goodnight, Mr. Sabaku."

"Gaara" The redhead murmured as he laid back down as well. "Just call me Gaara."

* * *

"Tenten and the kids should be back," Lee murmured, frowning to himself he hovered near the mall door. He was in charge of letting the scouting group inside once they made it back, checking them for injuries, and generally making sure they got inside the building safely. Today however, they were running a little late.

Tenten was supposed to be taking Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon on their first scouting mission since they'd been brought to the mall. The teenagers had been growing restless indoors, and Tenten volunteered to take them out. The other scouting groups had already made it back, and now Lee was growing a bit anxious.

Just before it could seem like the group was really in trouble, Konohamaru dashed through the alleyway followed by Moegi, Udon and Tenten. Their faces were pale but they had the sacks of rice slung over their backs. They were all sweaty and covered in bits of blood, but there were no visible wounds on their bodies. Akamaru started to growl and bark sharply from where he guarded the gate as the horde of zombies grew thicker around the fence.

"Open the gate!" Shikamaru called from his post high above.

As all four of the scouting group slipped through the gap in the fence, they dropped the sacks of rice and panted as they got their breath back. "We did it!" Konohamaru cheered, looking up at Lee with pride in his eyes. Whatever else he was going to say was cut off when Tenten barked, "Get them inside."

Moegi turned to the woman in confusion. "Miss Tenten-?"

"Lee. Please. Get them inside." Tenten repeated, her pupils dilated and unfocused. She could barely hear Akamaru's barks and the moans surrounding them.

Lee immediately did as he was told, his brows furrowed as he tugged open the door and gestured for the teenagers to file through. After they grumbled, picked up the sacks and dragged their feet in confusion, he circled around and herded them in. "We will be right inside in a moment! Take your rice to Choji and he will know what to do with it. Wash away all that blood before you eat!" he called after them, then shut the door and moved next to Tenten, who was bent over and still panting.

"Are you alright? What happened?" he asked softly. On the other side of the fence, zombies were shambling toward them, groaning and trying to reach through the wire unsuccessfully. Lee wrinkled his nose at the smell of rotting flesh and pulled his friend closer to the building.

Tenten shuddered under Lee's hands and looked up at her friend with a strange twist of her lips. She suddenly gripped his arms and shut her eyes tight, little shocked sobs catching in her throat even when her eyes remained dry. "L-Lee." She breathed out raggedly as she reached down and tugged the lower left leg of her pants up. The dark fabric was already soaked at the end where blood oozed down from a bite mark on her calf. Her hands were cold on Lee's arms as she wobbled.

The door to the building opened with a bang as Gaara rushed out, looking around the place until he spotted Tenten. He'd spotted the group coming back from the balcony, and noticed Tenten's faltering run right away. Even from where he stood, he could see the wound on her leg and the look on her face, and he knew that she was going to die. The redhead felt his throat constrict as he stared at the two figures.

Lee's jaw dropped in horror. He clung tightly to his friend, as his vision seemed to narrow and his heart thundered painfully. "But- that-" He shuddered and shook his head.

"I d-don't know how much time I have," she choked out, clinging in her friend's arms.

"Do not talk like that." Lee put the back of his fingers across Tenten's forehead and looked into her dazed eyes closely. Her temperature was bordering on feverish, and she had sickly dark circles under her eyes. "You will be okay, alright?" His mind roved for a solution, but even Lee could understand that hope was bleak. But dammit, he refused to accept that his best friend was going to die! There had to be something that they could do about it! He began leading her toward the door, never letting go of her shivering form. "You will be okay. We will help you, you can fight the virus, we just need some... some ice or something to combat the fever. Alright?"

"Lee, she's infected." As soon as it came out of his mouth, Gaara felt a numbness spreading through him with the knowledge that Lee would hate him for this. He stood between them and the door, his breath coming fast as they approached. Part of his mind was already working out the consequences of letting an infected person inside, the possibilities of a developed strain that could affect even those who were immune, everyone unable to do anything once Tenten died and turned- the death of another member of their group because they'd let one in. Those cold, clinical thoughts brought a sick feeling to his stomach he'd never let anyone find out about.

Tenten already looked worse off than other people he'd seen bitten, but the woman was still struggling not to lose coherence. She looked up at him when he spoke and her face crumpled. Gaara knew then that he would have traded places with her were it possible.

Lee stopped and his eyes widened at Gaara. In the back of his mind, he knew he should have expected this kind of reaction from the redhead, who was always clinical and cold for the sake of the greater good in these situations, but... this was Tenten.

"Gaara..." Lee said quietly, shaking his head in denial. "She is not- not dead yet. We have to _try_."

Tenten's lips trembled as she looked back and forth between the two men. Her breath was already becoming strained as she leaned against her friend. Lee gripped her closer, his expression becoming stubborn as he faced Gaara.

Gaara held his ground. "We can't let her inside. We can't put everyone else at risk." He said in an even tone, looking only at Lee so he wouldn't have to see Tenten's face. The man had to understand. They couldn't _experiment_ with what little medicine they had on Tenten. Gaara's brows knotted when they were finally close enough for him to hear how ragged Tenten's breathing was. His hands clenched at his sides. "The least we can do is keep her from turning." He said quietly.

"Lee-" Tenten coughed, looking up at her friend through the feverish haze she was in. "He's- He's right. I can feel...something changing me." She shivered as tears began pooling at the corners of her eyes. "I don't want to be one of them!"

"Tenten..." Lee wrapped his arms around her and squeezed tightly, hiding her face against his shoulder. Tenten's knees gave out and Lee gently helped lower her to the pavement. He knelt with her, only holding tighter when she tried to pull away. "What... what are you trying to say, Gaara? We _should_ try to stop her from turning, but we are running out of time! We should get her some ice and some water."

"It's too late." Gaara finally lowered his gaze to the back of Tenten's head, his pulse speeding up when he saw her weakly trying to push Lee away. There was a prickling sensation behind his eyes and his clenched hands began to tremble as he took a step towards the figures on the ground. His voice came out strained as he stood in front of them. "Tenten, I have to."

Fighting to push her face up from Lee's shoulder, Tenten clutched the front of her friend's shirt. Her skin was already turning a sickly pale color and the veins along her neck and arms were inflamed with the virus. For someone as strong as she was, Tenten was crying openly now. "You need to kill me," she whispered.

Lee shuddered and squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head once. Tenten's broken voice was making it hard for him to breathe. "Do not say that," he murmured. He pulled her back and looked her in the face, furrowing his brows. Her skin seemed to be getting hotter quickly. "You do not have to give up so quickly. Do not say that, okay?"

"It's too late, Lee," Tenten brought her hand over her mouth and gave a choked sob. She pushed at his chest, trying to pull away. "You need to get away from me."

Gaara inhaled deeply and smothered the trembling of his body with a stoic voice. "Let her go, Lee. It will be harder to see her turn."

"Are you alright down there? I'm calling Sakura." Shikamaru called from his post, the man already disappearing from the fourth floor balcony.

What little strength Tenten had left led her to snap her head up and weakly cup Lee's face in her palms. "Please, please don't let anyone else see me like this." Her voice was already cracking, her eyes losing their vibrant brown color.

"If he won't do it, I will." Gaara spoke softly, lowering his gaze to the ground before turning around. Sitting on the staircase near the door was Lee's pouch, and Gaara found himself heading its way with just one thought in his mind. Tenten's death would be as painless as possible.

"Please stop saying that," Lee pleaded. He put his hand over Tenten's on his face and his eyes widened at how damp and cold her fingers were. She was looking at him, but her eyes were unfocused and feverish. Lee shifted his arm to support her shoulders as Tenten started to sway off balance. His eyes were drawn to her bloody leg, where the pant leg had fallen halfway over the bite mark. The blood looked gruesome and sick next to her paling skin. Lee shook his head again, sharply. "Tenten, please, do not look so afraid... I am right here for you, I promise, okay?"

Tenten tried to crack a smile despite the pain that radiated from the bite wound. "You..were always...here for me." The trembling began to grow worse and the whites of her eyes started to turn pink. "Be strong for me now."

A single click sounded in the service entrance, rising above the moans of the dead surrounding the fence. Gaara clutched Lee's gun in one hand, the other letting Lee's pouch slide down to the ground. Covering the gleaming metal barrel with his palm, he cocked it down at the ground as he headed back to Tenten's side.

When he was close enough for Tenten to see what he was carrying, she pulled herself up and wrapped her arms around Lee with her back towards Gaara, and placed a single kiss on her friend's cheek. "Goodbye."

The silent gesture was signal enough. Gaara fired at the nape of Tenten's neck and shut his eyes when he heard her last breath. Akamaru began to howl.

Lee flinched violently and gasped in shock. Eyes round with horror, Lee looked up at Gaara, then back down at Tenten. She was still in his arms, limp and suddenly heavy. Her head was falling off her shoulders at a sick, unnatural angle. Her blood was all over him, wet, violently red, and still warm as it soaked into his clothes. Lee shuddered, and couldn't stop shaking as his dead friend rolled out of his arms onto the pavement. He scrambled back, and looked up at Gaara with horrified, accusing eyes.

"Gaara- but, she-" Lee shook his head. His vision jerked down to the blood all over his arms and clothing, and his stomach recoiled. Lee turned away, ducking his head and retched onto the pavement.

Gunpowder and blood filled Gaara's nose and he'd opened his eyes just to catch the look on Lee's face before the man began to vomit. His chest was heaving, aching from loss, and he felt like it would burst from the pressure inside, but the redhead had one more thing to do.

Gaara flipped the safety latch back on the gun and tucked it behind his jeans as he crouched down. Gently picking up Tenten's lifeless form, he rolled her onto her back and began to position her body as if she were just sleeping, just when Sakura rushed out with her medical bag in hand.

She was screaming by the time Gaara shut Tenten's eyes closed for the last time.

* * *

It didn't matter how many times Lee washed himself, his hands, his face. He could still feel Tenten's blood on his skin and her last kiss on his cheek. He couldn't stop shuddering with the memory, and he couldn't eat or drink without vomiting since she had died. Right now, in the dark alone on the mattresses they had shared, he couldn't stop the tears from coming as he clutched Tenten's pillow in ragged silence.

Lee knew that his uncle Gai had taught him that real men could cry with pride, but this was not a moment Lee could be proud of. What he was feeling hurt too much for that.

Out in the hallway, Gaara averted his eyes from Lee's curled form once again. Each voiceless gasp and the few times Lee's shuddering breath echoed against the walls, brought a weightless, twisted ache in his stomach and a pain in his chest. His clenched fingers were still pressed over his heart; already numb from the cold breeze blowing through the hall.

Gaara wondered if he was going crazy, because he could almost hear Tenten's voice telling him to stop being a loner and get in bed already, could see the twin buns on her head under the moonlight seeping in from the mall's windows just like all those times the three of them just sat down and talked, could hear her laughing over one of Lee's jokes, and now her prone form lowered down a grave inexpertly dug on one side of the mall's garden.

He stared at the row of dark shops blankly before slowly getting up and walking down the other side of the hallway. He wasn't getting any sleep tonight, and Lee was crying enough tears for both of them.


	5. Chapter 5

"Gaara, my friend, you're insane. Are you sure you want to guide your group there?" Naruto shook his head as he pored over Gaara's mapped route. They were in the atrium- a place that had inevitably become the meeting room slash function hall for the remaining survivors -who were finally continuing their plans of spreading out to a second location over a hand-drawn map made by Sai. It was almost an exact copy of the city map save for Sai noting down where roads were blocked and where some safe houses were located. "Everyone's having a hard time deciding whether to stay or go, but you'd better expect at least six or seven to come with you."

Gaara crossed his arms across from the blond man and exhaled through his nose. "That's the best place I could find within the area we've scouted. The other places are either full of walkers or lack any source of food and supplies."

Tapping his finger on the chosen spot, Naruto ran over the marks Gaara made. "Going from the mall to the office blocks is easy. But how the hell are you going to reach the Crimson Sand? There's a maze of side streets from here to there and It's practically at the edge of the city!"

"If there are any survivors out there, a big hotel like that is a good place to look for them." Shikamaru said, rubbing his chin with a thoughtful look on his face. "Haahh...if we stick to the roofs and head uphill when we need to cross the streets, we might be able to make it."

"It is not impossible," Lee approached the group just in time to hear the just of their conversation. His eyes were still red and puffy from last night, and his hair wasn't as glossy as usual, but he seemed to have otherwise pulled himself together. He cleared his throat with a small cough, then gestured to the map.

"If we can manage to make it past these streets unnoticed by the hordes, the rest of the way will just need some planning to make sure we never get cornered. Shikamaru is right, we just need to stay uphill and exploit every advantage or distraction we can manage."

Naruto reached into a bag next to the table and pulled out a water bottle, tossing it to Lee. He caught it and shot the blonde a grateful look before taking a generous drink to wash the cottony taste out of his mouth.

Gaara kept his eyes on the map as he traced the route again. Subconsciously, he tensed at Lee's presence nearby, and Tenten's death flashed raw and painful across his mind again. For a moment, he could smell the gunpowder that lingered on his palms since yesterday.

"I need names by tomorrow. I need to know who's coming with me to form a strategy," he said. There would be some trouble once they reached the side streets, especially if both ends were filled with zombies. Their best bet would be to have fighters in front of their party and back, but there were only a handful of them who'd ever killed a zombie.

"Count me in." Shikamaru said, shrugging when Naruto looked at him in surprise. "What? I like sitting up there all day, but I heard the view's great at the Crimson Sand." The man pulled out another cigarette from his pack and lit it with a match.

"If you're sure, Shikamaru. You'd better let Chouji and Ino know about that," Naruto warned, seeming troubled at having to part with one of his friends. Without anyone making a clear decision yet, it had been easy just to plan and talk things out.

"I will go with you, Gaara," Lee murmured, eyes averted from the redhead as he spoke. It wasn't easy to be around the man after what had happened, but he couldn't bring himself to avoid him either. Tenten wouldn't have wanted that. Lee had been having a horrible internal battle last night, caught between misery that one of his last friends left had been killed in his arms, anger at Gaara for being so cold, and tortured by the clear reasons in hindsight that things had needed to happen the way they did.

Lee still couldn't bring himself to look at Gaara, however. He knew that he couldn't hate his friend, but he wasn't quite comfortable around him yet, either.

Gaara glanced up at Lee but faltered when the other man wouldn't meet his eyes. "Don't decide so quickly." His voice sounded strangely subdued so he made an effort to steel himself. "Everyone who comes with me will have little chance of seeing anyone here again."

"Hey, don't be so grim. If you do find other survivors along the way, you can send them here." Naruto said, clapping Gaara on the shoulder. "Hell, if you can find a clear path between here and there, we might even be able to send more people to you. This place will fucking freeze in the winter and that hotel's pretty big."

Lee nodded in agreement. "We should try to stay in contact as much as possible. If something happens, we should still be able to rely on each other as best we can."

Sakura appeared from a hallway on the other side of the atrium. She approached the group with her usual confident, quick stride, but her expression faltered when she saw that Lee had joined. She spoke to Naruto, but walked around the table to stand next to Lee. "I spoke to a few more people, and it looks like Hinata and Kiba want to go with Gaara's team to the new location. They're still debating it to an extent, but it looks likely that they'll go."

She turned toward Lee and put a hand on his shoulder, concern in her brow as she noted the dark circles under his eyes and the blotchy quality to his skin. "How are you feeling?" she murmured.

"I am fine, thank you," Lee replied noncommittally, his eyes still on the map. He didn't pull away, but his shoulder hunched awkwardly against her touch. Any other time he would have been ecstatic to receive Sakura's attention, but under the circumstances he'd rather she left him be. "We were just considering the plans for moving to Crimson Sand."

Sakura flinched at the sudden withdrawal Lee was showing. She might have been undecided about Lee's attentions, but she'd grown used to them over time. "Oh...are you planning to go with them?"

It was harder than ever to stay in the same room as Lee, and Gaara found himself glaring at the hand Sakura had on the man's back. His crossed arms tightened against his chest with the memory of Lee's terrified, wide eyes looking up at him from Tenten's corpse. No one openly blamed him for her death, but he wasn't deaf to the whispers of how he could kill her so easily- some of which had come from the mouths of people who were in this very room.

"Maah, well, I'm heading back to my post." Shikamaru said, getting up from the table once he sensed the tension going on among the people beside him. Taking a puff of his cigarette, he waved at them and walked off with wisps of smoke lingering around him.

Lee nodded and waved to Shikamaru half heartedly. He glanced at Sakura, but didn't hold her gaze. "I am planning to go, for now. At least, I want to make sure they arrive safely."

"Oh, I see." Sakura nodded and squeezed Lee's shoulder. He furrowed his brow and took a breath. He finally glanced up at Gaara, and his lips twitched down at the tension. He rubbed his face. "I am going to go to the kitchens and try to eat something. Would anyone like me to bring something back?"

"I'm fine here," Naruto said with a shrug. "I just ate."

"I'll go with you," Sakura suggested. "I want to make sure you're not getting sick."

"No, thank you," Lee winced and shook his head. "I will be right back."

As Lee stood up and left Sakura to stare after him, Gaara lowered his eyes back down on the table. It was over. Whatever closeness he'd felt with Lee was buried under his own actions and the hate Lee surely felt for him now. His only recourse now was to do what he did best- focus on the mission without hesitation.

* * *

Gaara wondered if maybe he should just pack his bedding and move to another wing. Curled up on his side, he stared at the shop a few feet away from him, taking in the by now familiar signs advertising for cheap printers and ink. He tensed when he heard a rustle from behind him, unwilling to turn around and face the other man. The empty space between them was cold and heavy, and he just wanted to stand up and leave. He hadn't been able to sleep since that day anyway, whether he was on the mattress or sitting alone on the roof.

Lee sat down on his side of the mattresses. They still hadn't pulled the bedding apart since they'd lost Tenten, but he and Gaara never slept close enough to one another to conserve heat like they were supposed to. Lee sighed quietly and took a quick swig from his water bottle, then laid down and settled his head on the pillow. The silence in the air was so thick he could almost feel it on his skin.

Shifting the blankets over his legs, Lee rolled over. He stared at the back of Gaara's head, wondering if the man would say anything tonight, or only pretend to sleep again. If Tenten were here... she would probably smack Lee and tell him to approach Gaara first, so that they could talk out what was bothering them, and she'd poke fun at Gaara until she got a reaction out of him. Lee took a breath and opened his mouth... but let it go with a sigh and closed his eyes. He shuddered and tried not to remember the shock he'd felt when the bullet had broken Tenten's body.

When nothing came from Lee's end, Gaara tugged the covers tighter around himself and shut his eyes. It felt like there was weight pushing down on him whenever he and Lee were alone, and it was starting to affect how he acted even when they were with other people. He was willing to take the full blame of Tenten's death if it would help everyone move on and function as they normally did, but he hadn't been prepared for the backlash he was feeling.

Lee was his closest friend left, even more than his newly realized camaraderie with Naruto, even more than the protectiveness he felt over Hinata. The silence between them was hurting him and part of him wished Lee would just stay here so he wouldn't have to feel this way or see the accusations in Lee's eyes.

Lee blinked slowly, feeling tired in several different ways. Watching the back of Gaara's head, he could see that the man was unnaturally still, and his shoulders were tense. Lee finally forced his voice to work.

"Gaara?" he murmured softly. He paused, listening to their breath in the mild dark. "Are you awake?"

Lee's voice suddenly sounded much deeper than it usually did, and it brought shocks of cold up his spine and an unexplained warmth to his ears. Gaara let out a breath he'd been holding in and clenched his jaw before speaking, "...Go to sleep."

There was silence for a few more minutes. Lee closed his eyes and rolled over, feeling numb as he faced away from his friend. He clenched his fist against the bedsheets, brows furrowed in frustration. His chest hurt when he noticed Tenten's smell on the edge of his pillow, and wished it wouldn't remind him of blood.

* * *

"Hey, Kiba!" Lee jogged through the atrium to the other man's side, waving in greeting. Kiba was standing in front of Sai's map, explaining to Hinata why the trip from the mall to Crimson Sand was going to be so dangerous. He was still trying to persuade her that staying at the mall would be better, but at the same time he seemed begrudgingly resigned to their departure. He glanced up when he heard Lee call to him.

"Hello, Miss Hinata," Lee greeted the woman as well, giving her a small smile. She returned the expression, but Lee had to look away quickly when he noticed the pity in her pale eyes. Hinata was kind to him, and knew first hand what it felt like to lose someone to the undead right in front of your eyes, but Lee wasn't ready to discuss what had happened yet.

"Have either of you seen Gaara around? I heard he got the final list of people who are going to Crimson Sand."

"Everybody's looking for Gaara." Kiba frowned at Lee's interruption. "Even those brats have been looking for him all week. Is everyone suddenly coming with us?""

Hinata placed a hand on Kiba's arm and looked over her shoulder at Lee. "I think he mentioned going to the roof the last time I saw him." Her forehead creased in worry as she asked, "I...I saw your name on the list. Are you okay with moving?"

"Oh, of course," Lee smiled at Hinata in what he hoped was a reassuring way. Why did everyone assume that he wanted to stay at the mall instead of going with Gaara? It was true that he was having doubts- mostly because he wasn't happy about leaving Sakura- but if things didn't work out he had confidence he could come back, right?

To be entirely honest he'd had a few choice moments of doubt when he'd wondered how he could travel with Tenten's murderer, but he'd immediately slapped himself and ran laps through the mall as punishment for thinking that way. It wasn't Gaara's fault. It wasn't easy to accept, but it was true. Tenten would have smacked him for believing otherwise.

"Thank you, I will go check on the roof," Lee said, backing away quickly and smiling at the two. "I will talk to you later!" He turned and darted off toward the stairs, before Hinata could show him anymore concern.

Shikamaru was lounging on the bottom step of the stairs to the roof, a book perched on his knee and a bored look on his face when he spotted Lee heading his way. He scooted to one side and waved at him. "Yo. Never seen you come by here before." Shikamaru dragged the shogi board he'd been playing against himself with to the side. "Someone's still up there and he looks like he wants some space."

Even before Tenten's death, the roof had become a lot of people's favorite place for meditation and solitude. A place to grieve or just release pent up emotions. It was the quiet that really drew Shikamaru to stay there in the first place, with the roof high enough that you wouldn't even hear the moans from below. Lately, with Tenten's recent death, the roof was also drawing more people with Shikamaru resigning himself to guard duty when he wasn't on his shift.

"Hello, thank you, Shikamaru," Lee smiled at the man and waved, but his eyes were tight and determined. He stepped over the man's shogi board and continued up the stairs quickly. "But I think Gaara has had enough space lately."

"Okay, just make sure the door's closed after you. It's freezing up there." Shikamaru turned back to his board with a sigh.

* * *

The wind whistled past and back where Gaara sat, billowing the thick scarf he'd wrapped around his face. Legs spread and bent in front of him, he was listening to a battery operated radio he'd found in one of the shops, all the while jotting down little dots on a sketchpad. Unlike those who'd come up here to think, he'd gotten sick of brooding over irreparable things and had renewed his efforts in finding other survivors.

The radio crackled when he adjusted the antennae a few degrees south and he marked its position on the pad. He hadn't heard any voices yet, but if Naruto was able to broadcast from the mall, then there could be others doing the same.

When the door opened a few feet behind him, he felt a chill go through the coat he had on. Shikamaru never let anyone go past when someone else was on the roof. There were only two people who'd be stubborn enough to push past him, and Gaara's grip tightened on the pencil when he glanced back and saw Lee emerge from the door.

"Gaara," Lee shut the door behind him as he stepped onto the roof. He shivered in the wind and crossed his arms. He frowned at the redhead's back and walked quickly to close the distance between them. "What are you doing up here? I have been looking for you."

Gaara's brows knotted visibly and he turned back to the cityscape below them. Was Lee pretending or did he really not notice the growing distance between them? Lee hadn't looked him in the eye since Tenten's death, let alone spent any downtime with him- though that was also Gaara's fault for avoiding him.

"Preparing for the move." He answered, his voice a little hoarse from keeping silent for so long. "If you have something to discuss with me, we'll talk later."

Lee's frown deepened. He wondered briefly what the hoarse tone to Gaara's voice meant. Was he getting sick? Feeling upset or emotional? Lee felt off balance and petulant, because he honestly didn't know. How could he know how Gaara was feeling if the man kept avoiding him? The determination in Lee's characteristically round eyes flashed as he stepped around Gaara and plopped pointedly down across from him. He crossed his legs and sat up. "No, I think we should talk right now. How are you feeling? You know, it would be easy to get sick in the cold up here."

With Lee blocking his line of sight, Gaara instinctively pulled his legs closer to himself and glared at the other man. "I can take care of myself." He said curtly and began to gather his things. There was a prickling sensation on his skin that had little to do with the cold and more with Lee's sudden questioning and attention. He _knew_ Lee blamed him for Tenten's death so the care in his words just sounded empty and false.

Lee's fists clenched and his jaw squared in irritation. His stomach churned sickly at Gaara's attitude, queasiness matching his unease. The glare in the redhead's eyes felt unwarranted and cruel, and it was making Lee's frustration rise. He leaned forward quickly and put a hand over Gaara's radio, gripping it tightly. "Gaara, do not leave. I am trying to talk to you. You have been avoiding me for days, and I cannot stand for it any longer."

Lee's hand on his radio had a growl making it past Gaara's lips. "What do you want from me? There's nothing to talk about." He tugged his scarf higher, feeling the cold biting on his cheeks and the ache in his chest coming back. Change didn't come easily for Gaara, even if he could react quickly enough to survive. And just when he'd come to accept a friend's death and the loss of something he'd unconsciously hoped for, Lee was breaking down his walls.

His breath came out fast and fogging in the cool air. "I don't need you reminding me that I killed her."

"That is not what I am trying to do," Lee snapped. "Will you just shut up and listen to me for a moment? For the love of youth..."

Lee rubbed his face in exasperation. He glared darkly at Gaara, and shuddered against the wind chill. "I do not blame you for what happened, alright? I cannot even describe how angry I am with you, after everything, and your attitude since then makes me want to hit you, but I do not blame you."

Gaara sat back, the glare still present in his eyes but his mind reeling from Lee's words. He hadn't expected this, or for Lee to keep pushing him when he'd wanted to stop talking. He'd forgotten how stubborn the other man could be. "...You never told me that. You couldn't even look me in the eye afterwards. What was I supposed to think?" He felt a tremble in his chest and his face felt warm against the cold air. He hated confrontations.

The tone of his voice turned cold as his eyes narrowed. "Why are you even coming along with me? There are more reasons for you to stay here than to put up with my attitude."

"We need to stay together, Gaara," Lee said quickly. He shook his head, but continued to return the glare. "I... I am still angry, and I really wanted to hate you for what happened, but I could not do it. Tenten would have hit me for thinking like that."

Lee sat straighter and took a deep, shuddering breath. It was hard to say her name out loud, in the past tense like this. His fingers clenched and unclenched. "We need to stay together. Without Tenten, you are the closest friend I have here. She would have wanted us to rely on each other, and you will need someone to support you as the leader of the team that is going to Crimson Sand. The only other person in the group that gets along with you is Hinata."

"What about Sakura? Coming with me means risking never seeing her again." Gaara flinched when that came out, not intending to bring up that topic when it was irrelevant right now. Tenten had completed the bond all three of them had, but Lee's infatuation with Sakura was a different matter that he didn't want to address.

"I can't afford fighting with you when I need to keep everyone in the group alive." He said, trying not to show the ache building in his chest. "Just drop the matter and leave me alone." He averted his eyes and took hold of the radio opposite of Lee's hand.

At the mention of Sakura, Lee's glare finally wavered into something more hurt, but the expression returned immediately when Gaara tried to dismiss him. He tightened his grip on the radio and refused to let go. "I will not be fighting with you. I will be helping you the whole time, alright? And as for Sakura..."

Lee winced and finally looked down, though he still wouldn't let go of the radio. The wind ruffled his bangs, hiding his eyes in snatches. "She has been spending a lot of time with me, and she has been extremely kind since... since what happened. But it has been getting really hard for me to be around her. She... she makes me think of Tenten, and it bothers me. I could really use a break. I feel like I need space from her right now."

Lee shuddered, but this time it wasn't just from the cold. If he had been talking to anyone else, he wouldn't have admitted that.

Gaara's guarded expression fell when Lee opened up. The tightness around his eyes loosened and he frowned at the other man. Listening to him speak, he knew he wasn't the right person for Lee to confide in...but at the same time, he couldn't bring himself to yank the radio out of Lee's hand and leave.

Their breaths sounded loud in the silence on the roof, and Gaara found himself watching the way Lee's bangs ruffled in the wind and the quiet sadness he was surprised to see in his eyes. The ache in his chest was expanding inexplicably until he could feel his pulse in his fingertips. With a faint sigh, he unwound the scarf around his neck and slipped it over Lee's shoulders. Letting go of the radio, he shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. He didn't want to acknowledge that Lee talking about Sakura nagged at him in little ways until just hearing him say her name pissed him off, because doing that meant he had to acknowledge that he was avoiding Lee for that other reason.

"...Sorry." He said quietly, "I don't want to fight with you." He rubbed his hands together, finally feeling the intensity of the cold wind without his scarf. Lee was the one who'd get sick if they stayed up here for too long. "I'm not sorry for killing her, but I wish things had happened differently."

Lee lifted his hands and buried them in the scarf. The fabric was still warm from Gaara's body heat, and Lee tucked it tighter against his skin appreciatively. He was still frowning as he looked up at his friend, but he nodded in agreement. "I wish things had happened differently, too. I would be lying if I said that I am not still upset, but... I do not want to fight with you. I just want us to stay together, now more than ever."

Gaara nodded once then pushed himself up. "Let's go back inside. You've been shivering since you got here." He held out a hand to Lee, his brows still knotted but something closer to resignation and acceptance on his face.

Taking Gaara's hand to pull himself up, Lee's frown finally broke. His lips twisted upwards with relief. When he was standing again, he wrapped his arms around Gaara's shoulders in a brief hug. "Thank you," he muttered, then let go quickly and stepped back, knowing that Gaara liked his space. He started walking towards the door, feeling drained and shaky from their confrontation, but also much lighter.

Watching Lee head back to the door, Gaara let out the breath he'd been holding in and felt his body flush warmly despite the cold. When the man finally disappeared down the stairs, he brought his hands up to his face and blew on the cup of his palms, an anxious, quivering feeling taking over the ache in his chest. Lee probably didn't even notice that he'd taken along Gaara's scarf with him, or that his relieved smile had brought a red tinge to Gaara's ears.

* * *

"That's ridiculous! When did you put up that tower?!" Naruto squalled. Sai held out his hand and raised a brow at the blonde.

"It doesn't matter when I put it up. You landed on the property, so hand over my $1,100."

"But I _needed_ that," he grumbled, even as he counted out the bills and begrudgingly handed them over.

"You are still doing better than I am, Naruto," Lee assured with a laugh and a shrug. Lee only had a few properties to his name, and he'd had to mortgage two of them already.

Sai had the most number of developed properties and was close to holding the monopoly on red, while Gaara was currently still in jail. The redhead took the dice when it was his turn and rolled, only to shake his head when he still failed to roll doubles. One more failed roll and he'd have to pay the fine. He passed on the dice after collecting rent instead.

"I'm almost bankrupt." Gaara scowled and fingered through his newly collected money, only to pay the bank what he'd loaned earlier with interest. He'd actually never learned how to play the game and was struggling to remember the rules when everyone else seemed comfortable with their little plastic houses.

Ino smiled and planted a hotel near a railroad she owned and passed on the dice. "Don't forget, you owe me your assets when you do." She winked at Gaara and sipped at her cherry coke.

Lee chuckled at the look on Gaara's face. He still couldn't believe Gaara had never played before! When the group had started the game, Lee had thought for sure that his friend would be a pro.

"I used to play this all the time with my family," Sakura commented offhandedly as she read the back of a deed. "But that was before I started traveling as a student."

"No wonder you suggested this game," Naruto muttered, still pouting. "You've had practice at it! Everyone I knew back home hated this game because it lasts too long and gets too complicated."

"It is not that bad, Naruto," Lee placated. He took the dice when they were handed to him, and rolled. He moved his piece, and winced good naturedly when he landed on another of Sai's properties. He counted out the money and mortgaged another property. "Then again..."

"I'd be kicking your asses if we'd played a card game instead." Naruto said, taking the dice and landing himself on a community chest square and drawing a card. "Heh, got free money from a sale." He handed it over to the bank, where Sakura doled out the money with a smile.

By the time Gaara rolled again, he let out a sigh of relief when the dice gave him double threes. Moving his pawn, he paid the rent on one of Lee's properties. "How long does this game go on?" He asked, already tired of losing the fake money and picking the worst cards.

"Usually an hour or so, but we can set a time limit and just count everyone's net worth after." Sakura answered as Ino took her turn. She grinned when Ino's pawn landed on the go to jail square. With everything the group had gone through, she was much more carefree about expressing her inner self even when Lee was watching. "Hah, so much for winning the game, Ino-pig!"

"That's what you think." Ino flipped her hair out of her eyes and simply plucked out the fine for jail time from her stash. "Better up your game before your forehead starts spelling 'loser'." She taunted, both women's competitive streak practically sparking fire across the board.

Gaara gave Lee and Naruto a long-suffering look for dragging him into playing this game. He gathered his remaining bills and counted it out morosely.

"We can work out a deal if you want" Sai offered Gaara with a sly smile. "I'll sell you one of my properties for half the price, if you'll strip for me."

"That's fucking against the rules! Stop trying to get people to strip for you, Sai." Naruto protested. Glancing at the redhead, he pointed at Gaara with a horrified look crossing his face. " _No_ Gaara! Don't even consider taking that deal!"

"How much are you selling?" Gaara asked, amused more with Naruto's reaction than Sai's strange deal.

"Gaara!" Lee squalled, laughing and turning a little red. The last thing they needed was for a simple game of Monopoly to turn into something perverted! "Do not listen to Sai, that is cheating!"

"I can pay off the mortgage on one of your properties if you wanted to strip for me, too, Lee," Sai suggested, smiling widely with curved eyes. He turned back to Gaara. "One of my red properties, and a railroad."

Lee frowned and looked down at his properties. Damn, that was tempting... he shook his head resolutely however. Straying from the path of youth and honesty would mean never reaching the springtime of fulfillment!

"Dammit, Sai!" Naruto slapped a hand against his forehead in exasperation. "No one wants to strip for you! Gaara, just say no!"

"Hm. Fine." Gaara said, much to Ino's delight as she heartily patted him on the back.

"That's the spirit!" The blonde woman smiled brightly.

As Sai took his payment, Gaara stood up and shrugged off his coat, leaving him in a turtleneck and jeans. He sat down and counted his money again.

"You missed taking off your shirt, pants and underwear." Sai pointed out, raising his brow at Gaara.

"I stripped. There wasn't any indication in our deal that I had to strip completely." Gaara replied before marking down his new properties on a piece of paper.

Sai blinked at him quietly before a smile crept across his face. "Too bad. I'll have to remember that detail next time."

"Oh geez, you had me worried there." Naruto wiped his forehead dramatically and glanced around the board. "Who's next?"

Sakura had a blush on her cheeks and a gleam in her eye as she took the dice, trying to hide her disappointment at not seeing anyone strip. That would have been an interesting twist to the game.

Lee's heart had just about leaped into his throat with surprise when Gaara stood up, but he chuckled at the redhead's manipulation of the deal. It would have been very uncharacteristic of Gaara to take off all his clothes to get ahead in a board game.

Lee suddenly looked up and gasped as something occurred to him. Sakura's head perked up and she raised a brow at him. "What is it, Lee? You okay?"

"Oh, I just realized," he said. "This will probably be the last time we all get to hang out like this, before the move to Crimson Sand. I had not thought about it before."

"Yeah, lunches are going to be much quieter after you guys take off." Naruto was reorganizing his cash, recounting as if to make sure he hadn't overlooked any precious hundreds.

Ino's smile faded and she brushed back her long bangs behind her ears. One of her best friends was leaving and she and Choji hadn't been able to convince him otherwise. "How soon are you leaving?"

"We leave tomorrow before sunrise. I want us to have time to set up camp before the day ends." Glancing around the table, Gaara bit the inside of his lips. There were only a few people in the mall whom he really cared about leaving behind. But frankly, he was already looking past this group and towards places and people who hadn't been hit by the virus.

"It's not the last time we'll see you though, right?" Sakura turned to Lee, trying to catch his eye. "You'll still try to send word when you've reached the hotel?"

Lee caught Sakura's eye and smiled at her. He gave her a thumbs up and nodded optimistically, though his grin was a tad more subdued than usual. "Of course! This is not goodbye forever. I do not know when we will see each other again, but it _will_ happen."

"Thank you." Sakura gave a small smile, and reached over to pat Lee's arm companionably. "Just make sure you stay safe, alright? And healthy. Moegi should be able to use what I taught her to look after you guys for me."

"They've got a good team. I believe in every one of them to find more survivors and a way out of this place." Naruto grinned until his eyes were curved slits. "And while you're at it, get me something cool when you come back."

* * *

Rubbing his gloved hands furiously to generate heat, Gaara knelt down on his mattress and hastily unwrapped more of the thick blankets they'd taken from a home depot store. It was just their luck to spend the last night in the mall freezing on the tiled floor. Their trip tomorrow wouldn't even let them reap the benefits of saving the mall's generators for winter.

"Do you have everything packed for tomorrow?" He glanced over at Lee as he spread the blankets on top of each other. His own pack was already leaning against the wall, filled with a few canned goods, instant meals, and a lot of clothes and tools for their trip. The crossbow rested on top of his pack with a new bag of clubs beside it.

"Yes, I have everything ready," Lee replied, shivering as he zipped up his own backpack and left it on the floor beside their mattresses. He pulled his sweater tighter around his body and slipped under the covers, curling up and flexing his chilled toes. He'd dressed in a couple of layers to keep warm since the nights had been getting colder lately, but tonight he felt like he might as well have been naked outside. Lee fluffed his pillow and tried to settle in to fall asleep.

"Do you think there are many people in the city like us?" Lee asked, rolling over to face the redhead after a moment. "I still do not know what to expect when we leave, to be honest."

Gaara slipped under the thick pile of blankets and rubbed his face against his hands for moment to warm his chilled cheeks and nose. "From the number of people who survived in the mall, no." He murmured, pulling the covers up to his chin and staring up at the ceiling. They were in a bleak situation even if Naruto liked to boost everyone's spirits up by talking about a cure, or finding a place that's untouched by the virus.

Turning his head to look at his friend, he exhaled through his nose quietly. Lee was similar to Naruto in many ways- optimistic, outspoken and always cheering other people on -but Gaara could see the tiredness in the other man's eyes especially after Tenten's death. "...There could be pockets of people scattered across the city, but we can't find them all. Many of them might even be holed up in their houses just like Haku."

He shivered as the cold got to his feet even under the blankets. "If-If there are people out there, they'll be in defensible places like this mall or the hotel."

Lee nodded and shuddered with a yawn. He noticed when his friend's teeth chattered hard enough to make him stutter, and started shuffling closer under the blankets. "I think if there is anyone else out there, we will find them. I just hope we reach them soon."

Lee slid into the middle of the mattresses and rolled onto his back. He still couldn't stop shivering. "Would you mind scooting closer? It is freezing tonight. Can we sleep back to back?"

Gaara was tense as he tried to soak in what little warmth the blankets gave, seeing Lee shuffling closer. When the other man stopped in the middle, he exhaled and frowned at the mixed relief and disappointment he felt. He and Lee didn't really _touch_ aside from when it was necessary on runs and that time Lee hugged him. But the trembling in his body finally pushed him to move closer until his shoulder pressed against Lee's.

"You're just as cold as the floor." He said, jerking when he felt Lee's shivering form under the layers of clothes.

"S-sorry, though you are not much better." Lee smiled through chattering teeth in good humor at his friend's reaction and scooted closer, pressing against the other man as much as possible without crawling on top of him. Lee breathed deeply and tried to force his shivering to stop as some of the body heat between them collected.

"When we get to Crimson Sand, do you want to share a room with me, like we do here?" In a big hotel, there would be plenty of rooms to go around for everyone, though Lee knew most of the individuals in their group would likely want to stay with certain others.

"We might need to." Gaara responded with a hitch in his breath as Lee's warmth started to seep through his body, eliciting pins and needles from his legs and fingers. It was still cold but he could finally feel his blood circulating again. With Lee pressed up close, he grabbed the edges of the blankets and tucked all of it under his arm until the sheets were wrapped cocoon-like against his side.

The movement had his covered legs brushing against the other man's, and Gaara wondered why Lee didn't find their proximity awkward even in this situation. His friend was too comfortable around him while Gaara had to constantly reign in his thoughts and reactions. He turned his thoughts instead to their conversation. "Assume that there are already people living there. We can't trust them to welcome our arrival, since that means sharing food and resources. Our group has to stick together even when we get there."

"That is a good point," Lee agreed. He tucked his fingers close to his neck and sucked in another deep breath. He turned his head toward Gaara as he spoke, and could just make out the pink on certain patches of the redhead's skin from the cold. He was surprised that they weren't seeing their own breath yet. Their body heat was already helping though, and Lee felt his muscles slowly relax, with only the occasional shudder. "I think we should stay together, too. It is important for the whole group to stay close, but I think us two especially. In an emergency we will have each other's back right away, and if we were not bunking in the same place we might grow apart."

Lee yawned widely, and sighed with sleepiness. "I do not want that to happen. The path to Springtime should not be lonely."

Gaara snorted softly at Lee's choice of words. He'd grown used to his friend's quirkiness with the time they'd been together- had it been a few months already? But he still didn't know what to make of that 'Springtime' Lee was always touting about. He wasn't going to hope for a bright future when they were still surrounded by the city's ruins. Letting his gaze slide towards Lee, his lips twitched slightly at the sleepy look on the man's face before he rolled to his side and shut his eyes. Thanking Lee for deciding to come with him was better left unsaid.

"We have an early start tomorrow." He said in a hushed murmur. "We'll survive the winter together."

Lee hummed in response and rolled onto his side as well, pressing his back tightly against Gaara's and tucking his arms against his chest. "That will be the easy part, in the long run." He yawned again, wide enough to make his eyes tear up. He closed his eyes, already thinking of youthful dreams. "Goodnight, Gaara."

* * *

Hinata crawled along the edge of the building roof, lifting her head just enough to see over the edge into the street bellow before ducking down again. Kiba was right behind her, keeping a sharp eye out as they moved. The group was trying to be as quiet as possible, which made things slow going at times, but they hadn't raised much attention from the walkers below, if any at all. Altogether, their group was comprised of Gaara, Lee, Kiba, Hinata, Shikamaru, Udon, and Moegi.

Lee was at the back of the group, and Gaara at the front. Lee leaned around the line of survivors, checking their direction before staying close to Shikamaru's back again. It was midday now, and the sun was directly overhead, just barely shadowed by thin clouds. Lee wiped sweat from his brow and tightened the straps on his pack.

Crouched behind an exhaust tower, Gaara held up a hand to stop their progress while he scouted for an easy route down to the next building's roof. They'd been traveling half the day and they still hadn't reached the maze of side streets. The wind bit coldly against the group and a few of them were already shivering despite their coats, continuous movement and the threat from below.

"There are less zombies on that side." Udon observed quietly, pointing to the next street over. He sniffled and pressed a tissue to his nose, his face red from allergies. Moegi placed a hand on his shoulder in concern from behind him.

"Maybe we should rest for a while," she whispered, "We've been moving for hours."

Gaara shook his head and pulled his furred hood closer to his face. "...Not until we reach the side streets. We can't set up camp on a building roof in this temperature."

"Fuck, keep your voices down. The wind's moving downhill." Kiba shushed them, peering over the side of the roof's ledge and ducking down when a few walkers looked up.

Gesturing for the group to continue, Gaara gauged the distance from the roof they were on to the closest building where Udon had pointing at. It looked easy to jump. "This way." He whispered and led them to the edge. Looking down, he was relieved to find only a handful of zombies on the street below. They were moving uphill as planned so they could make a run on the ground soon enough.

Stepping back, he threw his pack to the next roof and took a running jump, landing quietly on the other side and gesturing for Udon to follow him.

The boy swallowed thickly and peered over the edge of the roof, shivering with an uncomfortable look on his face. Moegi put a hand on his shoulder and gestured him forward with a quiet nod of support. Udon sniffled and rubbed his nose, but tossed his pack ahead like he'd watched Gaara do. He backed up a set, then took a deep breath and a running jump. He overshot the distance by several feet and ended up skidding and falling on the other roof clumsily. He waved at Moegi to show her that he was okay, and she followed quickly after.

"You okay, Udon?" the girl murmured as she handed her friend his pack with a concerned look on her face.

"I'm okay," he replied quickly, turning pink in the cheeks from the cold and her worry.

Hinata followed close after the teenagers, landing with precision and a quiet huff of her feminine voice. Kiba was faster, but also louder as he landed with a heavy thump. Shikamaru and Lee followed carefully, with only soft skidding.

"Everything going according to plan so far?" Lee asked Gaara softly as he strapped his pack back on and tucked his bat where he could reach it quickly.

Gaara nodded at Lee. "Once we reach the end of this block, we can climb down." He glanced at everyone to make sure that they were all alright. Hinata smiled at him when he looked her way before turning to Kiba and speaking softly to her friend. Moegi was handing Udon another tissue to blow his nose on, while Shikamaru was taking out a folded map and pinpointing their location.

"There should be a fire escape on that white building there." Shikamaru murmured and pointed to a low-rise structure at the end of the block.

Shouldering his pack, Gaara nodded in acknowledgment and began leading the group onwards again.

It didn't take long before they reached the building Shikamaru had pointed out. Kiba instinctively gripped Hinata's arm when they saw that the fire escape had a few bodies and zombies swaying on the platforms and lying on the stairs.

Gaara was already taking out his crossbow, wishing he'd found more arrows as he silently began to hit those close to the top. Shikamaru took out his steel baton from his side pouch and swept it to the side, unlocking its levels until it formed into a sturdy rod. With Gaara leading them, they climbed down the stairs disposing of zombies and stepping over dead bodies.

Moegi was just stepping over a body and moving across the platform after Gaara when she felt something grab her ankle. She gasped and turned with wide eyes as a severed torso dragged itself closer, eyes bloody and rotting as it reached for her leg with glistening teeth. Before she could shriek or defend herself, Udon was suddenly there, crushing the corpse's arm with the length of pipe Konohamaru had given him before they left the mall. He grabbed Moegi and dragged her back, while Shikamaru leaped ahead and finished off the zombie before it could moan too loudly and attract others.

"That was scary," Moegi whispered shakily as she clung to her friend. Udon nodded in agreement.

"Keep moving! We don't want to fall behind," Kiba urged in a hissed whisper. Shikamaru nudged the corpse aside and gestured the others ahead again. Hinata's lips were pursed with concentration as she navigated the stairs, and Lee was looking at the teenagers with concern.

"Were either of you bitten?" he asked urgently.

"No. We're okay. We'll keep moving," Moegi insisted quickly, shaking her head and following close after Gaara.

Not much later, the whole group was gathered on the bottom level of the fire escape and were getting ready to touch the ground again.

Gaara fired at two zombies emerging from the side of the building and began a brisk jog towards the end of the block. Kiba kept close after the teenagers and swept aside the walkers that reached for the group from between buildings and side streets.

Moving uphill had been a good idea with Gaara catching glimpses of a larger crowd of zombies gathered down below. Suna had been a desert city long before the area had been urbanized, so the rolling streets were reminiscent of the rocky sand dunes that once enveloped the city. He weighed the possibility of going back to an older way of living in the desert to escape the zombie population, but dismissed the thought as he fired a bolt at another zombie. It might work closer to Konoha, but not in the unpredictable desert with so little supplies.

The half-decayed woman hissed at him weakly as she collapsed on the ground, her pink suit dress already in bloody tatters with his arrow jutting from her eye socket. He moved on.

"There's a burger joint over there." Shikamaru called from the back, glancing down at his map as he jogged. "We can rest there before entering the side streets."

Hinata hefted her pack and panted as she spotted the place. They'd been moving for a long time now and it was starting to wear her down. Unlike the other members of their group, she'd only been able to go out on scouting trips and missions that weren't too taxing- and usually with either Kiba or Gaara around. She wiped the light sheen of sweat on her forehead and pressed a hand against the stitch in her side.

"Are you okay, Hinata?" Kiba glanced at his friend with worry before stopping in his tracks and taking hold of her pack's handle. "Give this to me. I can carry both."

"N-No Kiba, thank you but I-I can carry it myself." Hinata panted, stopping as well and brushing strands of her hand away from her face.

Kiba's mouth tightened at her refusal but he let go of her pack and nodded. Hinata had always relied on him as a child, always needed his help or Shino's, and always grateful for her two friends when they were around to protect her. This epidemic had changed all of them, even the friend he'd known since they were kids.

"What's the problem?" Gaara asked curtly, jogging over to them and looking between Kiba and Hinata. "Is anyone hurt?"

"Nah, no one's head needs to get bashed in." Kiba squeezed Hinata's shoulder lightly with narrowed eyes turned to the redhead. The ugly streak of jealousy was obvious on his face as he stepped closer to Hinata. He'd had to leave Akamaru at the mall because of the route they'd taken on the roofs, promising to come back for him the moment he had a chance to. The measure of control Kiba had over his emotions was noticeably diminished without his animal companion.

Gaara looked Hinata from head to toe once, making her flinch from the intensity of his gaze before he exhaled. "Conserve your energy when you run. Don't breathe too fast, but take deep breaths in rhythm with your feet." He told her, shifting his gaze to Kiba. "We're setting up camp close by. Keep a close watch when we go inside the store."

"Where does he get off giving orders like that?" Kiba seethed as Gaara jogged off to the front and got everyone moving again.

"I-it's okay, Kiba," Hinata said, shrugging her pack and trying to calm her breathing. "Gaara is just d-doing his j-job."

"Keep moving. We're almost there," Shikamaru butted in, appearing behind the two. He was covered in blood spatter and his eyes were narrowed at the streets. Lee was following close behind, but paused to bring his bat crashing down on the head of a crawling dead man with dreadlocks and bloodshot eyes. He looked ahead, spotting the burger joint they were headed toward and steeled himself for yet another mad dash.

Across the street, the doors to the restaurant were unlocked as the group filed quickly inside. Lee, Shikamaru, and Kiba held off a few zombies that shambled jerkily toward the building, jaws slack and moaning as their limbs dragged. Shikamaru ducked inside after Hinata and held the door for the others, slamming it shut just as a walker reached for the door.

"Grab something to block the door with!" he called, dropping his weapon and holding the door closed. He fumbled with the door latch, trying to find a lock where there was none. Lee was just shoving a thick, heavy table across the floor with Kiba when there came a foreboding moan on the other side of the restaurant. A woman appeared behind the registered, wearing a uniform apron with her hair done up with a bun. An order pad peeked out from a pouch on her apron as she groaned and reached for Udon with manicured, bloody nails.

"Let Gaara take care of it, I can't hold the door any longer!" Shimakaru instructed quickly, bracing as the moans and scrabbling at the entrance grew louder. Lee had just been about to drop the table and take care of the dead waitress, but locked eyes with Kiba and shoved the table harder across the floor.

Gaara set down his crossbow on a table and took out a club. Barely blinking, he made quick work of the zombie with a horizontal swipe and buried the thin edge of the putt in her throat. He didn't look back as he proceeded into the kitchen area to clear out any remaining zombies inside.

Shikamaru quickly stepped aside as Lee and Kiba pushed the table towards the entrance. Fingers slipped through the small crack where the doors had opened a bit and Shikamaru beat and pushed them out with his baton. With a grunt, Kiba finally slammed his side of the table against the door with a bang. He stood in place for a second to catch his breath, sweat dripping from his face down to the hard wood. "This damn thing better hold until tomorrow." He muttered.

The moans were still heard from inside, but muffled now. Hinata set down her pack just as Gaara emerged from the back, a twisted frown on his face like he'd be sick at any moment. "I've cleared the kitchen area. Don't go in there yet." He said, scanning the room for possible weaknesses. The place was thankfully enclosed with just two windows on either side of the door. Too small for a zombie to enter through though.

Moegi stepped clear of the dismembered body on the floor and covered her nose and mouth with a handkerchief. She began doing the round as Sakura had instructed her to do after every run. She moved closer to Lee and tapped his shoulder. "Do you have any wounds? Is your breathing alright?"

Lee turned and looked down at the girl in surprise. He shook his head and have her a thumbs up, though his smile was a tad tighter than usual. "I am not injured! My breathing is perfectly normal. I promise I will let you know right away if I notice something wrong with my body."

Moegi nodded and proceeded around the group, checking for any injuries, including minor cuts and bruises. She was concerned for a few moments about Hinata, but determined that she only needed work on her stamina. No one seemed to be sick or infected, though a couple of cuts had to be covered.

"You seem to have learned a lot, Moegi," Lee commented when the girl was finished checking Udon. "Have you always been interested in health?"

"Not before Sakura started teaching me," she said. She began stacking chairs against a wall like Kiba and Hinata were doing, to clear space in the middle of the room. "I don't like looking at wounds and blood, but it doesn't bother me much anymore lately. I even took down a zombie that was all gross and cut up when Tenten took us... out..."

The girl turned her eyes down as her voice trailed off. She was obviously uncomfortable, and her brows were scrunched up guiltily as she thought. Lee nodded with a thoughtful frown and took a chair out of her hands, making her jump and look up at him with wide eyes before he stacked it with the others. "It is good that you are learning to be reliable," he said softly.

"Sorry," she muttered, still looking guilty.

"Moegi." Gaara called, looking from the girl to Lee. The teenagers obviously held themselves responsible for the events leading to Tenten's death, if not her actual demise. Part of Gaara felt that they should feel that way, if only not to forget what she'd done for them. But, Lee didn't need to be reminded of his best friend right now. Taking on an authoritative tone of voice, he addressed Moegi and the others. "Give me a status on everyone's health in a moment. Shikamaru, help me move this one to the kitchen. Everyone else unpack and settle in. We're staying only until dawn."

Moegi nodded and got back to work with her face still troubled but much more focused on the task at hand.

Gaara moved to the zombie he'd killed earlier and took hold of her top. The corpse stank of decayed flesh and blood, and the greasy smell of fast food. He didn't let himself think about having to hold her severed head up by the hair with another hand. Shikamaru lifted both of her legs with a grimace. "I hope there's clean water back there." He said.

Working together, they pulled the body to the kitchens where Gaara had killed the last remaining walkers. Bodies were strewn around in gruesome positions, but some were worse than others. There was a dead young man whose head was boiling in hot oil despite Gaara turning off the fryer earlier. The skin of his neck still bubbled sickly as flesh slid down to the liquid fat. Behind him were three bodies in a tangle on the floor, one of them wearing the store's uniform with its teeth still fastened on the leg of a man who was curled protectively over a woman presumably his wife- whose head was thrown back in a silent scream and her belly torn out.

"Don't let anyone in here. The vents still work but there might still be gas in the air." Gaara told Shikamaru as they dropped the body. Trying the sink, the redhead was relieved to find clean water pouring out and the two of them quickly washed their hands clean.

"I'll make sure we refill on our water supply before we leave." Shikamaru assured him before both men headed back out to the store front.

Just over an hour later, the group finally managed to breath a soft breath of temporary relief. All the possible exits and entrances had been blocked, everyone had something small to eat from their packs, and they were able to rest at ease for the moment. Bedding was improvised in the center of the restaurant with packs, coats, and blankets or camp beds that had been packed away.

"I d-don't know if I will be able to sleep," Hinata murmured as she settled on the floor with her pack as a pillow. Kiba spread a blanket over her legs and sat down beside her. "There's so much going on, and I can't stop worrying until we get to the hotel."

Despite her words, the woman's eyes were half lidded and her body seemed boneless with exhaustion. She blinked up at Kiba and sighed softly in thought. He patted her shoulder softly and lowered his voice. "You don't need to worry. You go to sleep, I'll keep watch. You need to rest before we start moving again in the morning."

"You should sleep, too," she murmured in reply, slowly closing her eyes. "I think Gaara is going to keep watch, right? You should get some rest, and he'll take care of us."

"I don't need him to take care of us," Kiba scowled and turned his eyes to the far wall. Hinata only hummed in reply, already drifting asleep.

"Do you think we should have two people keep watch at a time?" Lee asked as he settled on the floor next to Gaara, laying out his blanket and pack. "Or just one? It might be easier to stay awake if we use the buddy system, and it'll be easier to notice if something's wrong right away."

Gaara removed his boots with a sigh and nodded at Lee. "We have enough people to pair off. You and I will take first watch. Shikamaru can take the second watch with Moegi and Udon to get them used to sleeping shifts. Kiba and Hinata take the last watch." He glanced at each one to make sure they knew their shifts, earning a cold look from Kiba as the man huddled next to Hinata. There was no question now that he and Lee would end up sticking close to each other. Whatever he felt about the other man was easily set aside while they were part of a big group. He stretched out his legs wearily as he took note of everyone huddled together. Kiba was scowling at the wall while Hinata slept beside him. Moegi was writing in a notebook with Udon speaking quietly to Shikamaru.

They hadn't lost anyone yet and he intended to keep it that way. Sliding closer to Lee, he inhaled once before pressing his leg and shoulder against the other man to get more heat in his limbs. A thought came to him just then and he glanced up at the other man. "Did you leave your footage at the mall?"

"No," Lee replied. He spread his blanket across both their legs and settled against Gaara with a tired sigh. He relaxed, enjoying their body heat and the chance to rest, even if he couldn't sleep yet. "I left the camera behind, but I kept the footage with me. I thought about leaving it behind, but I could not think of who I could leave it with. Tenten and I never did find a way to send the images to someone outside the city."

Lee's eyes were soft and a bit sad as he glanced over at the teenagers, thinking of the guilty look on Moegi's face when she'd accidentally brought up Tenten. "I wish I could have brought the camera with me, but it would have been too much to carry in a big group like this. I wanted to keep documenting what is happening, but it is not easy. I tried keeping a journal, but I have only written in it a couple of times so far. I am not a very good writer." Lee sighed. "Tenten was better at the reporting side of things, while I just operated the lens and microphone for her."

Pulling the blankets tighter around him, Gaara looked up at the ceiling and listened to Lee's voice. The other man had a higher pitch than his, but it still had that masculine edge to it, much like how Lee enjoyed pointing out the beautiful things in life and even wrote poetry for someone he liked. He shook his head faintly, unsettled by his train of thought. He'd been thinking too much about his friend after sleeping back to back with him.

"Your footage will be valuable if we find someone working on a cure." He said, breathing deeply. "Tenten would have wanted us to continue documenting what's happening around us. If there is a way to do that at the hotel, you can have everyone give their account of the epidemic."

The redheaded turned his head to the side, lips pressing tight at how close Lee's face was to his. "Why did you decide to become a cameraman?"

"To be honest... I do not remember making the decision." Lee fidgeted with the edge of the blanket as he spoke. His rough callouses caught on the blanket fibers and his bandages. "I graduated high school, but did not go to college. I could not afford it, and I did not have good enough grades for scholarships. I was not very good at studying anyway. My uncle found me a job working with the a sound crew for a news station, since they needed someone with upper body strength to hold the boom for long periods of time. I just kept working my way up after that, learning on the job, and eventually became a team with Tenten for reporting on the field. Before I knew it, I had a career that I really enjoyed."

Lee turned and caught Gaara's eye, their faces close together as they warmed up. He smiled at the redhead. "What about you? What made you choose your career? To be honest, I still do not know very much about what your work was."

That was a strange way to make a career for Gaara, who'd taken the usual route of studying hard and getting into a good university because of it. But he recognized Lee's hard work in getting where he was. The redheaded almost felt a tinge of regret that things came easily for him, despite the automatic absorption into the family business.

Gaara's eyes hooded as his gaze shifted from Lee's smile. "It wasn't a choice. My family practices strict traditions even in business. All of the Sabaku line worked for Kazekage Industries since it was first established by an older generation." He licked the back of his teeth, his mouth drying at talking more than the usual. Few people were able to get him talking about himself, even if he was comfortable around them.

"My job was to keep the company executives in line at whatever cost. It was a glorified position for the chairman- my father's personal security and Intel."

"Wow. That sounds like an impressive job." Lee raised his brows at Gaara and blinked. He wondered what the hooded, faraway look on the redhead's face meant. "You must have had a powerful family then. Did you enjoy working there? Did you have any hobbies when you were not working?"

Lee glanced around at the other members of the group. Kiba had finally laid down, though he didn't look asleep yet. Moegi and Udon were curled up close to each other, huddled under a shared blanket. Shikamaru was laying on his back with his hands under his head, staring at the ceiling while his mind obviously wandered. Lee leaned back and stretched his legs, wiggling his toes under the covers and brushing Gaara's feet. "I only had a couple of hobbies, myself."

Gaara jerked slightly at the feeling of Lee's feet brushing against his socked ones. His pulse quickened while he lowered himself back as well. Turning his head towards his friend, his lips twitched up one side involuntarily and he let out a single breathy chuckle. "...Hobbies that don't include drinking alcohol but include writing poems."

Their situation had its share of incredulity, including a kind of apocalyptic dating game where chopping zombie heads was the icebreaker. Talking about their life before the outbreak seemed to revert their roles back from 'leader' to just another office worker. From someone trying to survive everyday, to someone who'd had hopes and dreams for the future. He expected everyone in the group to ask these same questions of one another soon enough.

Gaara rubbed his eyes to hide a tired yawn, his voice subdued when he spoke again. "I played video games. Read a lot and observed people around me. Sometimes, what I liked to do and what I needed to were the same thing."

Lee chuckled. "I have only drank alcohol a couple of times in my life. Friends tried to get me to drink socially with them, but found out the hard way why that is not a good idea. Poetry seems like a better alternative, and there is far less collateral damage." Lee paused, examining the redhead's face. Gaara's skin was still so pale, even after the hours they'd spent together on scouting trips across roofs. He had long eyelashes for a man, and the dark circles around his eyes were so dark that they almost seemed like bruises from up close.

"I have never played video games," Lee stated, still examining Gaara's skin and expression. Lee wondered why the man had no eyebrows. He hadn't thought about it much before, but up close it seemed odd. Lee blinked owlishly. "My uncle thought it would be better for me to spend time outside, and I never bought a game station for myself after I moved out. What was your favorite game?"

"No particular game, but I played a lot of survival and shooters." Gaara couldn't help the wry smile tugging on his lips as he said, "Most of them involving the undead." His eyes blinked attentively awake when he noticed Lee looking closely at him, swallowing as his brows knotted. The man had such wide round eyes that he could usually tell what his friend was thinking from them. This scrutiny was new though and Gaara met it with the same intensity and a bit of surprise.

"What are you looking at?" He brought a hand to his face and ran his knuckles over his lips in case he'd missed some food at the corners of his mouth.

"Oh," Lee blinked quickly. "I was just looking at you up close. You do not seem to have any facial hair. Do you shave?" Lee rubbed his own chin in thought, where a hint of stubble was growing. His eyes flickered across Gaara's puckered brow, and down toward his pale lips as he touched his mouth with his knuckles. "I noticed before, but I did not really think about it until our faces were close together like this. I am curious about the rings around your eyes, too. Are they birthmarks? Or tattoos?"

The corner of Lee's mouth pulled up and he finally looked away with a wry expression. "Feel free to tell me if I am being nosey."

Gaara licked his lips just to be sure before rolling to his side, hands huddled against his arms and Lee's shoulder and his legs bent at the knees. "I've never been hairy." He said quietly, wondering what prompted this line of questioning now. It didn't bother him but this was the first time his friend showed an interest in his appearance. Even Naruto and Hinata had asked him about the dark marks around his eyes. "I was said to take after my mother's features and traits. But the marks around my eyes are from my father's side. One of our line had the same condition."

Touching the edge of his right eye, Gaara snorted and lowered his eyes to Lee's covered neck. His bangs fell across his forehead and brows from the angle. "I've been told they make me look creepy."

"Creepy?" Lee smiled a little. With Gaara laying down facing him like this, it was a lot warmer already than when they'd been shoulder to shoulder. He glanced down at the odd angle of red bangs. "I suppose I could see that, but I think they make you look more like a cat or a raccoon. In an office environment I might call your marks youthfully cute, but it also makes you seem more dangerous when you're wielding a bloody golf club."

Lee looked away with a hint of a wince at that thought. He definitely admired Gaara for his reliability and resourcefulness during the outbreak, but at the same time he recognized that his redheaded friend could be a powerful, dangerous force when he wanted to be. "You must have learned something from those video games, huh?"

Gaara was almost relieved when Lee looked away. He knew Lee still didn't agree with his stand against zombies even if he knew it was necessary. But it was better than for the other man to see the warmth on his ears and the sudden unguarded look on his face. It was gone as quickly as it appeared and the redhead just exhaled softly. "Just what will help us survive."

He glanced at his watch. Their shift would end in another hour and he'd have to wake up Moegi and Udon. Shikamaru would know when to get up on his own. The line of personal questions seemed to end so he turned his thoughts to more practical matters. "When we reach the hotel, I'm going to look for a usable truck. The Crimson Sand can't be a dead end for us. Is there anywhere in Konoha or nearby that will be safe from walkers?" The dream Naruto had of establishing a safe community was a good one and he wanted to plan ahead as much as possible.

"A place in Konoha... well, if we set up a place above the mountain monuments, we would have the uphill advantage, like we will be using at Crimson Sand. There are natural hotsprings and small animals in the mountain area, too, so we could use some natural resources." Lee began unwrapping his bandages as he spoke, preparing for the night ahead and getting comfortable for the sleep after. He wiggled his fingers when they were free, and continued unwrapping. "There are a few tourist buildings we could take shelter in. Also, the Academy and Hokage offices are big, well enforced buildings that we could use, which are also close to the monuments."

Lee paused for a moment, trying to recall the details of how the city was laid out, what would be advantageous to them, and what might doom them. "The big buildings would take a lot of time to clear out though, I think. There would have been a lot of people inside when the outbreak hit, regardless, you know? So, lots of zombies are probably still there. Depending on what we find, there are also several clan properties that we could take shelter in, and are probably well stocked."

"Naruto mentioned the mountain monuments. He also said there are many rivers that border the city." Gaara fell silent as he tried picturing a fortified community. He didn't have Naruto's vision but he thought it was a better option than relying on Suna's limited supplies. Looking at Lee's face, he exhaled through his nose. "When we get to that point, we can look for your uncle. If he's still alive, we will find him."

Lee paused, the wrappings on his second hand only undone as far as his wrist. His thick brows furrowed and he looked at Gaara with touched eyes. "That would be... amazing. To be honest, I am almost afraid to find out what has happened to him, but if he is still alive..." Lee shook his head, smiling. He wrapped an arm around Gaara and squeezed him close in thanks. "That would really make me happy! Gai would be a great asset for our group, and he always has amazing advice, and he is quite possibly even more youthful than I am!"

"Oi," Kiba grunted, turning his head to glare at Lee over his shoulder. "Pipe down, I'm trying to sleep."

"Sorry," Lee whispered, waving a hand at the man. Kiba rolled back over with a small grumble.

"I know it is not likely, but thank you for saying so," Lee murmured to Gaara, squeezing him once more and then taking his arm back and putting it behind his head.

There were times when Gaara suspected if Lee was really this excitable or if he secretly knew how much he affected the touch evasive redhead. "Mm." Rolling onto his back again, he rubbed at the spot on his arm that was still warm from the hug. He was growing too dependent on Lee's company. Attached when he should be focused on leading the group. The thought stayed in his mind until the end of their shift and before he finally fell asleep on the makeshift bed.


	6. Chapter 6

"I don't see anyone inside." Udon cupped his hands tighter around his eyes as he peered in through the glass double doors. Moegi huddled close and tried to look inside as well while the rest of the group kept watch.

Surprisingly, they encountered only a few zombies once they'd fought their way through the sidestreets. Kiba and Gaara had led them on a path of broken bodies, and moans from every angle that it had felt like they'd never get out. They were all tense, shaken up by the smell of rotting death and blood around them. But no one was bitten.

Gaara leaned on his bloody club and panted, taking stock of any possible entrance to the hotel. It was too cold to stay out here for long and the doors were even thicker than the mall's. The hotel's pristine white driveway was littered with cars and bodies, some of them mangled and beaten. The fountain up front was a sickly dark red color with patches of skin and hair floating up from the bottom. There was also a slope leading down into the basement. His survey was cut short by a movement above the door.

"Did you see that camera move?" Shikamaru looked up as well. "There's definitely someone alive in there."

"T-The generators must s-still work inside." Hinata shivered violently, the sweat on her face cooling rapidly in the cold.

"If they won't open the doors for us, we'll head down to the basement." Gaara said, already taking out a flashlight.

"Good thinking," Lee was stationed at the back of the group, watching the surrounding area while the others looked for a way into the building. He had his bat at the ready and a sharp eye vigilant for zombie approach. The teenagers were near him, also playing lookout while at the same time edging towards the safety of the building with an obvious yearning to be off the streets.

"If there are people alive inside, why would they not let us in?" Lee wondered out loud, brow furrowed in thought. He couldn't understand it.

"They'll think we're infected, or attracting trouble," Kiba replied, standing close to Hinata and scowling at the door. "It's why we couldn't let anyone into the hardware store when we were holed up there. It's too big a risk. If one person gets in and turns, everyone else could end up dead, too."

Lee still frowned, but only shook his head instead of replying. He still couldn't imagine refusing to help someone in that situation. It wasn't in his nature.

Just when the group was moving in formation toward the basement entrance, there was a loud, decisive click from the front door. The electronic system unlocked the door, and the camera Shikamaru had indicated moved again, seeming to zoom in.

"Someone inside seems to think we're worth the risk," Kiba moved forward quickly and grabbed the door, tugging it open and ushering Hinata through first.

Gaara stayed by the doors until the last of the group made it in. He stared up at the camera, brows knotted and a frown tugging on his lips. Whoever was on the other end seemed to watch him back. The doors locked behind him as he followed everyone inside.

The hotel lobby had a barricade surrounding the front doors, but aside from that, it almost seemed like the place was still in operation. Lounge music blared from hidden speakers and the temperature was comfortably warm, creating a surreal environment that was both familiar and strange to the survivors. Shikamaru held an arm out in front of Udon and Moegi, both of whom looked ready to explore the hotel. "Careful. We don't know who's running this show yet." He warned.

"No show tonight. Just the dead rising again." A bored voice intoned as a door behind the front desk opened. Gaara stiffened at the shock of red hair so much like his own on the sleepy-eyed man, who now leaned over the front desk and languidly rang the silver bell on it. "The boss lady says you're clear. She'll be down any minute now. We've got enough rooms for all of you but we don't use the upper floors anymore."

"More people means less food. Should all of them be let in? Some look sick."

Hinata gave a little shriek when a strange man suddenly emerged from behind some plant decor, sniffing around her. Kiba immediately pulled her close and frowned at the two men. "Who the fuck are you two?"

The first man shrugged. "Don't mind Zetsu. He's been like that since we finally unjammed his room and pulled him out from a pile of corpses. My name's Sasori."

Lee was staring at the two with wide, disbelieving eyes. While the others in the group were wary of the two men and huddling together defensively, Lee was still standing in shock to discover that there were other survivors here. And they made it sound like they weren't the only two! There was also the 'boss lady' as well! This was amazing, more than they had hoped for!

"We did not think we would find anyone else alive here!" Lee exclaimed, stepping forward and looking quickly between the two men. "How many of you are there? How long have you been here? Did you know we were coming? Are you alright? Is anyone hurt? Have you seen any other survivors in the city?"

Shikamaru sidled closer to Gaara, noticing the tenseness in his frame. He raised a brow, and gestured to Sasori with a quick nod. "Is he a relative of yours?" he asked quietly. The two looked a lot alike, and even the teenagers were looking back and forth between the two redheads with some confusion.

"No." Was Gaara's curt answer as his eyes narrowed and he reached up to take out his crossbow.

"Wouldn't do that if I were you. We've added interesting bits to the hotel's security and let's just say sprayed guts won't match the decor." Sasori glanced at Lee with disinterest just as the stair doors burst open. "She'll answer all your questions, kid."

Gaara just had enough time to recognize the tall blonde woman before she strode over and he was pulled tight against his sister's form, his hands automatically coming up to grip her forearms as she said in that clear, self-assured tone so much like his father's, "You are going to head straight up with me and wash that blood off you." She pulled back just as quickly as she hugged him, looked him up and down then declared, "I am going to cut your hair."

"Why is he here?" Gaara's eyes were fixed on his sister with the closest thing to adoration that his narrowed eyes could muster even when his body remained rigid.

The woman frowned briefly and its resemblance to Gaara's was uncanny, before she shook her head and lowered her voice. "I'll explain later." With the same businesslike attitude of setting aside personal matters, she turned to face everyone else with sweeping appraisal. "My name is Temari Sabaku. You're welcome to stay here as long as you don't cause trouble. Sasori will give you your room assignments once you've given your names and what skills you can put to use. Once you're all settled in, we'll sit down for a meal together and I'll answer any questions you have."

"That's a damn better deal than we have out there. We'll take it." Kiba had taken off his jacket and was currently using it as a blanket to warm up Hinata. The girl was still shivering but looked much better than she did outside.

Lee was looking back and forth between Gaara and Temari, but for once he was silent. He understood the connection between the two when the woman had given her name. He nodded and smiled in appreciation to Gaara's sister, though he was reeling at the soft look of familial love in Gaara's expression.

Well, as soft and loving as Gaara seemed capable, anyway. The redhead was still standing ridged, and his eyes were narrowed and calculating as usual. Genuine joy or excitement would have seemed weird and out of place in Gaara's expression anyway.

The group slowly assembled and gave their names to Sasori, though Moegi and Udon were on edge because Zetsu was hovering uncomfortably close behind them, breathing oddly thick the entire time. Sasori stepped out from behind the counter and lead them up stairs and down a hall, assigning them rooms on the second floor down the same wing. Temari followed and stayed close to Gaara, though she said nothing for a while. She would touch him on the shoulder every few minutes, or his hair with a disapproving tsk, but never in an obviously affectionate way. Looking closely however, one could tell from the glances and her body language that she was happy he was here.

"Room 204 for the children," Sasori said, opening the door and handing them a room key with a sleepy-eyed glance. "Two beds."

"We're not children," Moegi protested, crossing her arms and frowning at the man. Udon echoed the sentiment with a 'yeah!' and pushed his glasses higher. He took the room key and held open the door for Moegi.

"You look like children to me," Sasori replied simply, not even bothering with a shrug as he moved onto the next door. He glanced back as Udon wiped his nose on a rag from his pocket, eyes watery from allergies. "You snivel like children, too."

"Hey, lay off them. They've had a pretty rough day." Shikamaru said, patting Udon on the shoulder as he passed by. He made sure they'd closed the door behind them before moving on, keeping an eye on the trailing Zetsu.

Sasori ignored Shikamaru and opened the next room, a smaller one that was close to a working vending machine and ice storage. "Since you're so worried about them, you can have this room." He flipped the keys towards the other man, who caught it deftly with a muttered, "So troublesome." and headed inside his room.

The last two rooms were a corner room and one that was directly across Shikamaru's. Opening the corner room, Sasori stepped aside and waved a hand languidly in presentation. "The corner's always the biggest. This one only has one king-sized bed, but it's got more room to move in. The other room has two queen sized beds."

"You can stay with me if you're not comfortable sharing a room with men." Temari addressed Hinata, to the latter's surprise. The girl pulled Kiba's jacket closer around her shoulders as she shook her head.

"N-No thank you. I don't mind staying with Kiba." She sought out her friend's eyes for support, causing said man's expression to falter. It was the first in a long time that Hinata actively asked for his help in anything, even if he only saw it in her eyes. He nodded gruffly.

Temari pursed her lips slightly but didn't push the matter, cocking her hand on her hip. "Sasori, give them the second room and the corner to this young man. Gaara can stay with me."

Gaara's brows were knotted as he shot one last glare at Sasori before crossing his arms and shifting his attention to his sister. The room assignments were of little consequence right now. "We need to talk. Lee, I'll meet up with you later." He said, sparing a glance at his companion. Some things had to come before his personal feelings.

"Of course." Lee nodded in understanding, though he felt a dash of regret. Looks like he and Gaara wouldn't be sharing a room after all. It was good that he would be with family however, which was something no one else could boast to. Lee stepped into his assigned room and let his pack swing down from his shoulder. "We should all get some rest. It was a difficult trek here. We will talk later."

Sasori turned and walked back down the hall without a word. He ignored Zetsu as he passed, but the man followed him down the hall after a short pause.

Gaara nodded at Lee, wordlessly watching him step into the room. With Temari standing next to him, the two made a sobering picture of what their family must be like on a normal basis.

* * *

The rest of the day was a blur for many of the survivors. They'd met nearly everyone who was staying at the hotel during the dinner at the lounge. Many were hotel staff or guests before the outbreak began and had simply huddled in their rooms or the hotel's locked areas while the carnage carried on outside. Sasori and Zetsu had been staying at the hotel but both men were silent on what business they had in Suna. One thing was clear, Temari had come to the hotel with a small group just as Gaara did, and had proceeded to assume authority over the survivors within.

It was night time now, and Gaara was silently making his way down the second floor hallway. The grandfather clock next to the storage room showed that it was close to 2:40 in the morning, and the redhead felt his skin crawl slightly at knowing the exact time after so long.

He reached the corner room after a few more steps, and paused to take a breath before rapping twice on the door. The doorbell still worked, but he had a feeling it wouldn't be enough to wake up the other man.

Inside the hotel room, Lee was shifting and jerking in the queen sized bed by himself. It was the first night he'd slept completely alone since the outbreak. He couldn't seem to fall asleep, and couldn't get comfortable either. The bed was too soft, even if it was just a hotel mattress, since he'd grown so used to sleeping on something thin, or even just the floor. When he'd finally fallen asleep less than an hour ago, he'd woken within minutes because of a nightmare.

In his dream he'd been back at the mall with Tenten, trying to bring her fever down with bags of ice while she cried. Before he could even tell if it was making a difference, he'd heard a gunshot and realized she was dead. Only this time Gaara was behind him, and had shot _through_ him to get to Tenten. It was horrifying, and it had taken a few seconds after waking before he could realize that there wasn't a bullet hole gaping in his chest, and Gaara hadn't shot him. Only Tenten.

When he heard the rapping at the door, Lee sat up straight in bed with wide eyes. He blinked, his eyes watery with sleepiness as he stumbled to his feet. He leaned against the door as he pulled it open thoughtlessly, but then was surprised when he found Gaara on the other side. He immediately became a bit more alert, lifting his head higher and standing straighter while he still blinked. "Gaara? Are you alright? What are you doing here?"

Gaara just stood there silently for a moment, lifting his eyes from the floor to Lee's face. The marks around his eyes looked slightly puffy and darker despite the emergency lights along the hall, his hair dishevelled like he'd just gotten out of bed himself. The blood-soaked clothes he'd sported earlier was replaced with a wool-lined sweater and pants. "I can't sleep." He said quietly, shifting his weight to his other foot uneasily. "Can I stay with you?"

Despite the collected tone of his voice, he was visibly restless as he glanced past Lee towards the inside of the room then tilted his head up in search of any cameras along the hall. Gaara, being Gaara, still had a golf club strapped on his back even when he looked ready to curl up somewhere to sleep.

"Oh," Lee replied in surprise. His thick brows were raised as he stepped aside and held open the door. "Of course you can. To be honest, I am not sleeping very well either. Oh, uh-"

Lee paused as he closed the door behind his friend. He looked a little sheepish as he glanced around his room, dark except for the beams of soft moonlight through the window curtains. "Sorry, I only have one bed. It is really big though. I am sure you will not mind sharing." Lee dragged his hand down his face, trying to ward away his exhaustion.

The single bed had Gaara's eyes landing on it with sudden attentiveness, but he ignored the quickening of his pulse and pulled loose the straps that held the club to his back. Setting it on the foot of the bed, he glanced over his shoulder at Lee, green eyes glinting almost dangerously from the soft light. "Be careful what you say or do here. We're not safe in this place."

He rubbed at his arms to warm himself up while slipping his feet out of the hotel slippers he had on. "I was wrong." He murmured, looking towards the windows of the room. It felt strange to sleep in a bedroom again after taking refuge wherever they could. "I should have gone back for them. Temari made it out alive. If we'd worked together, Kankuro might have survived too."

"Your brother is not alive?" Lee frowned and followed Gaara to the bed, moving around to his side and slipped back under the covers. The sheets were still warm from where he'd been laying earlier. "I had hoped that he would be here, too. Are you sure he did not make it?"

Lee looked at the golf club laid across the foot of the bed. A thought occurred to him, and he lowered his voice unconsciously. "And why do you say it is not safe here? Are there openings where zombies could break into the hotel?"

Gaara slipped under the covers as well, huddling close to Lee with a sinking realization that this felt safer and more familiar than sleeping next to Temari. He laid his head against the soft pile of pillows and frowned at the ceiling. He and Temari had had a long talk, but it left his mind reeling and it felt like he'd lost his footing in so many ways and there was an ache in his chest because she was the only sibling he had left while his brother- "...Temari saw him get bitten. He threw himself at them so the elevator doors could close. She managed to make it here with Baki, our father's executive assistant and our advisor. I could have done something if I'd been there." His breath hitched faintly and a tremble ran through his frame, but his expression didn't change as he turned his head towards Lee.

"Sasori and most likely Zetsu are both criminals. Sasori is a confirmed murderer." His expression broke when his lips tightened and he lowered his eyes. This was the part of him that he hadn't wanted Lee or anyone in their group to know about, but there was a lot at stake here and Lee needed to understand. "They're part of an organization called Akatsuki, the one that's been known to instigate kidnappings and political killings in Suna and neighboring cities. My team and I suspect their involvement in the disappearance of our third chairman, my grandfather."

Lee's eyes widened and his breath hitched at Gaara's news. He rolled onto his side and propped his head up, looking at Gaara with concerned eyes. His friend's expression didn't change, but he could feel the tremors in Gaara's body through the mattress. He put a hand on his friend's shoulder, squeezing gently and then letting it rest there in comfort. He knew first hand that Gaara would need time to think about his brother before he would be comfortable talking about it, so instead Lee focused on the news concerning Sasori and Zetsu.

"That is why you reacted so hostile to them when we entered the hotel, right? I was wondering what made you act like that." Lee glanced over Gaara and just noticed how much room the redhead had ignored on the other side of the bed, choosing to sleep closer instead. He dismissed it without another thought, however. "Do you think they would still be a danger, in these conditions? Political killings are not very relevant right now, since the outbreak."

"They're still criminals." Gaara licked his dry lips, brows knotting at the hand on his shoulder. It stopped most of the tremors running through him as he found a point to focus on. "Sasori's grandmother Chiyo was on the Suna Council. Even she was subject to threats and blackmail by the Akatsuki. She refused to follow their whims and was eventually killed a few months ago, though her death was reported as a car accident. If he can do that to his family, he won't hesitate despite the outbreak. The same goes for any member of the group."

Something important nagged at him, like a loose string dangling in the air that he couldn't reach. But his thoughts were too jumbled at the moment for him to pinpoint what it was. His feet brushed against Lee's as he settled in, the contact barely grabbing his attention as he continued in a deadpan tone, "Temari says she has him under her watch, and she knows how dangerous he can be. He's good at coordinating everyone's responsibilities and knowing what job is best for each person, but that only gives him an advantage over everyone."

"Wow..." Lee murmured, baffled. He twitched when he felt Gaara's feet brushing against his, but didn't mind. In fact, Gaara's feet were much warmer than his, so he pulled closer and even went so far as to tangle their ankles, curling his cold toes.

"You are right. He is dangerous, and we need to be careful around him," Lee frowned and sighed, shaking his head. He slumped a little against his pillow. "Things were bad enough when the only dangerous thing we needed to worry about was the zombies, but now it seems we are back to fearing each other as well. This is not youthful at all."

Whatever he was feeling, Gaara's lips twitched up involuntarily at that. There were so many words to describe their situation, and Lee still thought of it in 'youthful' terms. If the other man had been in his position at the company, he'd soon run out of ways to describe what the human mind could cook up with the right motives. He craned his head to the side, eyes losing their cold edge and lidding in silent humor instead.

"You trust people too much, Lee, but because of it, you have people on your side ready to fight for and protect you. You know what he is now. He won't be able to catch you off-guard as long as you're careful." Gaara stopped and held in a breath, suddenly aware of the light tangle of their ankles and the truth of what he'd just said. It was too much, too close to saying he'd be that person standing next to him. And that it wouldn't be just because they were _friends_. His hooded eyes seemed to lower further, hiding away the gleam of his eyes in the dark.

Lee's expression became wise and serious for a few seconds as he thought about Gaara's words. Then he smirked and shook his head. "Everyone I know seems to believe that I am incredibly naive. I like to trust people first, until I am proven wrong, but I guess most people would rather do it the other way around." Lee glanced down at Gaara, but the redhead wasn't looking at him. Lee blinked, then cocked his head to the side.

"Did Miss Temari cut your hair already?" he asked, letting go of Gaara's shoulder to touch his bangs. He brushed the red strands out of Gaara's face and held them up, trying to remember how long they'd been before. "I only just noticed. Did she just do a trim?"

Gaara's expression was caught between disconcertment and surprise at the sudden handling of his hair. Eyes blinking wide, he stared at the fingers holding his bangs up, almost causing him to go cross-eyed as his thoughts were effectively interrupted. "...She cut off a lot more than she said she would." He replied, tensing under Lee's careful scrutiny. Where did this interest in his appearance come from? Lee had asked similarly personal questions last night.

That brief look of contemplation and the smirk Gaara barely caught on Lee's face, held the same confidence the man carried himself with, but was far from his usual outspokenness and eagerness. What he'd said conveyed a lot about him beyond the morally upright and gullible cameraman he seemed to be.

It was too late in the night to mull about darker things, and it was painful to think about the rest. The redhead sank into the welcome distraction of sizing up this new side of his friend. He slowly relaxed against the other man and asked, in a subdued but cautious tone, "How old are you?"

"I am twenty-four. I think my birthday is soon, though. How old are you?" Lee played with Gaara's bangs for another moment, then ruffled his hair and let it fall back into place. Lee thought the new cut looked good on him. Maybe he would ask Temari to do a trim for him, too. Lee lowered his propped arm onto his pillow and cushioned his head on his elbow. At this lower angle, he could only see the side of Gaara's face, and the dark rings around his eyes were more prominent and close in his vision. He rested his hand back on Gaara's shoulder and yawned.

"I lost track of time... do you know what month it is now?"

"Close to December." Gaara frowned from Lee ruffling his hair, but it melted away at the realization that Kankuro had constantly done that even when they'd started working for their father. He shut his eyes and pulled the blankets up to his shoulders where he gripped the bunched up fabric. His breath came fast at an overwhelming sense of loss.

Lee's eyes were on him though and he answered him with a heavy exhale. "I thought you were younger than me, but you're the same age as Temari. I'm twenty four by January."

"You are younger than me?" Lee noticed the unhappy way Gaara closed his eyes tight from his close angle, but didn't say anything about it. He rubbed the redhead's shoulder with his thumb, snuggling further under the covers next to his friend. "I had not thought about how old you might be. You are very mature, but you also look very young, when you are not scowling. If it is close to December now... my birthday has probably already passed. It was mid November."

Gaara's eyes opened into mere slivers, sliding to look at Lee. "...Did you want to celebrate?" He asked, his voice grown tight. His shoulder felt sensitive from the constant movement of Lee's hand on it, but he let it go on without brushing it off like he would have before. "The date doesn't matter." He wasn't the type to party or celebrate birthdays, but...Tenten would have wanted it. In the short while that he'd known her, she had been both like a sister and a more expressive version of Temari- who took important dates to heart.

"Oh, no thank you. We have enough going on without having to worry about things like that." Lee smirked and closed his eyes as he breathed into his pillow. "Instead of a birthday party, it would probably be a celebration that I survived another year, you know?" Lee chuckled ironically.

"What about you? Do you usually do anything special for your birthdays?"

Shutting his eyes again, Gaara felt the day's exhaustion catch up with him. It wasn't like him to care so much about what someone else wanted, and the polite refusal reminded him of that. "We used to eat out when there was a birthday. Before my father began to travel." His words were drifting off already as the comfort of the bed and Lee's warmth lulled him to sleep. "They were...nothing special."

With his brows still faintly knotted, Gaara fell into silence as his breath deepened and unaware that he hadn't even rolled onto his side this time around.

Lee lapsed into silence with Gaara for a few minutes, feeling himself drifting off slowly. He blinked open his eyes after a while and examined Gaara's expression as it relaxed, though it wasn't completely peaceful. His brows were unhappy and the dark rings around his eyes twitched occasionally. Lee could understand how he felt, now that he knew his sister was alive, but that his brother was not. Heavy relief, devastation and loss, and the contrast would make it all the more difficult to bear.

The only thing Lee could do was support his friend and keep him company. Lee relaxed and slowly fell asleep, hoping that neither he or Gaara would have anymore nightmares tonight.

* * *

Morning peered through a part in the curtains and shone on the bed. Gaara jerked awake with the faint red glow behind his eyelids, his heart pounding fast in his chest as he sank into soft covers and felt stiff arms wrapped around him. Acting on instinct, the redhead twisted around and promptly knocked his head against whoever or whatever had him in its hold. His head hummed painfully as he tugged on the limbs across his chest, eyes trying to blink past the haze of sleep and adjust to the filtered light.

" _Ah-_! Oww..." Lee grumbled, waking abruptly with a flinch as Gaara's head butted against his. He blinked rapidly and pulled back, groaning. He pulled his arms away as Gaara tugged them, and only just realized he'd wrapped around Gaara after falling asleep.

Lee rolled over, still dazed and half asleep. Disoriented from the sharp jolt when Gaara head butted him, Lee promptly found the edge of the bed and fell over it with a heavy thump. He dragged most of the covers with him, until only his feet were uncovered as the blankets fell on top of him. He stayed there, still dazed, but trying to understand where he was and how he'd gotten there.

The sudden coldness seeping onto his uncovered feet brought him to full awareness, and Gaara squinted against the light to make out the rich colors of the hotel room. Remembering where he was and who he was with, the redhead pulled himself to the side of the bed and found a pile of blankets with a Lee-shaped bump. His golf club was thankfully resting on the carpeted floor below the bed.

Gathering the blankets off of his friend and throwing them on the bed, he stared down at Lee once he was uncovered. "You were hugging me." The rasped statement was partly an apology, coming from Gaara, and partly implying that it was Lee's fault for hugging him in the first place. His body still held lingering traces of warmth and there was a twinge in his stomach when he couldn't remember falling asleep last night.

Gaara's lips were pressed in a firm line as he got down on the floor next to the other man and drew closer to see if he'd broken skin. "Where does it hurt?" His own forehead was starting to redden and swell.

"Oh," Lee sat up slowly and rubbed his forehead, wincing. _Ow_. That was a very abrupt way to wake up. "Just my head, above my eye." Lee shifted, and winced again. "I think I landed on my shoulder."

Lee shivered, cold without the blankets wrapped around him. His lips pulled up ruefully at Gaara, though his forehead was starting to pound insistently. "Sorry. I guess I got too comfortable after we fell asleep."

"I thought we were still on the streets." Gaara said, reaching out and brushing Lee's bangs aside. They were both going to sport lumps in their foreheads. He shivered when he started to feel the cold higher up on his body. He wasn't a medic, but he had picked up a few things from Sakura and Moegi when they'd treated him, and Lee's shoulder probably caught most of his weight.

"I'll get some ice for that later." He held out a hand. "Come back to the bed. Let me check your shoulder."

"Thanks." Lee took Gaara's hand and tugged himself up until he was standing. The last edges of the blankets slid off his legs. He sat on the edge of the bed, his brain slow and groggy this morning. "Do you always forget where you are when you first wake up?"

Gaara's eyes narrowed briefly, unable to tell if Lee was just teasing him. "No. Tell me if it hurts." He sat behind the other man and began to press along his shoulders. A glance out the window confirmed that it was late in the morning already. Had they really slept that long? "Temari said one of the scouting parties arrived after everyone went to bed last night. Find out what they know about the area and if there are any usable vehicles. I need to discuss our stay with her and the likelihood of bringing people from the mall here."

His fingers dug against the cord of muscle running between Lee's shoulders where it probably built up from having to lug a heavy camera around.

"I can do that. I will see if anyone is still in the dining area for breakfast and ask around." Lee tilted his head to the side to stretch out his shoulder for Gaara. He thought about just shrugging it off and telling his friend he'd had worse than a bruise or two, but he was still partially waking up and didn't feel like putting up a fight. He winced when Gaara's fingers dragged along his outer shoulder, which had hit the ground first. "Right there."

Lee looked up at his friend and smirked as a thought came to him. "Have you always had those reactions in the morning when you wake up next to someone? I can imagine you kicking a significant other out of bed because you cannot remember him in the morning." Lee grinned and chuckled, then winced again at Gaara's fingers on his shoulder.

The look on Gaara's face could only be described as withering as he felt around the area Lee had winced at. It didn't feel like anything was out of place. Just swollen. "Lee, the few times I've dated anyone and had sex with them, I never slept over." He said, irritation creeping into his voice as he let go of Lee's shoulders. Getting off the bed, he picked up his golf club and the straps he'd dropped last night, slipping them around his body again and buckling them in place. They were actually meant for archers, but the redhead preferred his sturdier weapon of choice in close range. He sheathed the club head-first into the holder. "Have Moegi check it later. She should have a balm to help it de-swell."

"Alright, alright," Lee rolled his shoulder and quit his teasing. Gaara was always too serious! Shaking his head, Lee stood and made his way to the bathroom to brush his hair and wash up. A few minutes later, both boys left the room and headed downstairs to begin their day.

* * *

In the hotel's restaurant, several of the resident survivors had laid out a table with breakfast. It had been sparse to begin with, so by the time Lee arrived there was only enough for him to eat a few bites, but he wasn't complaining. As he grabbed a small paper plate, he looked around the room for unfamiliar faces, searching for the scouts that Gaara had spoken about. If they had been out last night, he wouldn't have met them at dinner. It wasn't until Lee set his plate of crackers on a table and started to sit down that he noticed someone all too familiar on the far side of the room. He could only see the back of the man's head, but Lee recognized him instantly and his heart thumped in response.

" _NEJI!_ " Lee exclaimed, appearing across the room at lightning speed and embracing his old friend. The other man grunted in shock, and stiffened inside Lee's impressively strong hold. Lee was almost vibrating with excitement, and powerful manly tears were already streaming down his face in a torrent. Everyone at the table Neji had been about to sit down at was staring openly.

"I cannot believe it, you are alive! I am so happy to see you! After all the struggles and horror that life has thrown at us, you and I both managed to persevere and continue to walk the path of youth and living! I am so happy!"

" _Lee_ , I can't breathe," Neji gasped in a hiss, squirming in his friend's tight grip. When Lee's arms finally loosened the man gasped loudly and his face became less red. He turned to his friend and looked him up and down slowly, eyes wide. "It really is you... I am relieved. I thought you had died."

"Oh! You two know each other?" Hinata piped up from the next seat over, lacking her tell-tale stutter and the paleness she'd had on her face while on the run. Smiling at the two men, she said with gentle teasing, "Neji is my cousin. We must have been destined to meet in this hotel."

Placing a hand on Hinata's shoulder, Neji echoed the smile with a small, fond one. "Perhaps. I heard all of you came from the mall in the other district." He turned to Lee and gestured to the seat next to him. "Come and sit down with us. With everything going on, it's good to see an old friend. It's been too long since we last saw each other. "

"No kidding!" Lee sat down next to Neji, his crackers at the other table forgotten. He was grinning broadly, almost blinding a couple people as the light flashed off his teeth. "I have not seen you in person in... almost two years now. How have things been?"

"Things have been great for me, except for the zombie apocalypse," Neji almost rolled his eyes at his friend as he sat down as well, his back straight and proper. He'd always had proud posture. "I was staying in the hotel on business when everyone began dying. I was working as a representative for the Hyuuga clan."

"Wow, really?" Lee replied, impressed. Neji and Hinata's clan was very prestigious, and it was rare for anyone outside of the main branch to hold a position such as that. Most worked harder jobs, often menial around the property, or serving the main branch. "You must have been working hard for them to finally recognize you! I suppose it is a shame that the outbreak hit while you were on business like that."

"A virus outbreak at this scale isn't going to be _convenient_ for anyone," Neji remarked, taking a sip from his water glass. "We're lucky to be alive."

"Of course, of course," Lee rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, though he was still beaming with excitement.

"In any case, I'm glad to have found Hinata alive and well. If Uncle Hiashi is alive in Konoha, he'd want news of her survival." Neji said, looking gravely at Lee. That fact alone would clue his friend about Hinata's connections to the main branch in his family. As well as why he never mentioned her. He could still remember those years he'd spent angry at the old-fashioned traditions held between main and branch family members, and the times he'd been cruel to his childhood friends and even his cousins because of it. He and Lee had duked it out a _lot_ of times when they were young.

"He'd want to know that you're okay too, Neji." Hinata touched her cousin's arm just as Kiba came to the table with his own plate of light snacks. The man seated himself next to Hinata, locking eyes with Neji, and for a moment, there seemed to be sparks of tension between the two. Something must have gone on before Lee arrived at the table.

Taking his eyes off of Kiba, Neji addressed his friend again. "I'm surprised you're in Suna. Weren't you part of a station in Konoha with Tenten? Have you heard any news about her?"

Lee was just reeling at the hint that Hinata was from the main branch, but his thoughts were derailed when Tenten was mentioned. For a brief second he sat up and smiled, ready to tell his friend all about his work adventures with Tenten, before his expression sobered and reality hit him cruelly. He looked down and clasped his hands. "Tenten and I were staying at the mall together, but there was an accident. She went on a scouting mission without me, and when she came back she had a bite wound on her leg. She did not make it."

The cool collected look on Neji's face gave way to a myriad of emotions from shock, horror, and nausea, until it settled into one of pained resignation. He'd seen much of the same while he was here and knew it would be pointless to hope for a better outlook back home. "She was always strong no matter what happened. While you and I constantly fought and had our hang-ups, she never let life bring her down." He took a larger drink of water and brushed a hand over his face.

"She didn't die from the bite, ya know." Kiba said quietly as he bit into a piece of jerky. Hinata stared at her friend in disbelief, hurt that he would bring that up now. "Kiba." She shook her head.

"What does that mean?" Neji asked, glancing at Kiba with a distrustful glare. He looked at Lee for explanation.

Lee lowered his thick brows at Kiba, but shook his head and frowned unhappily. "She was still alive when she arrived at the mall with the bite mark. She was sick, and I held her while she was dying, but..." Lee's voice broke. He cleared it uncomfortably, looking down from his friend's intense eyes. Neji always had the most piercing stare, and this still wasn't easy to talk about. Neji handed his water glass to Lee, who took it and drank gratefully before he continued.

"She had all the symptoms. There was nothing we could do that would save her. I wanted to bring her inside and use ice to bring down her fever, but it would not have made a difference. Gaara shot her before she could turn." Lee flinched, hearing the words out loud like the gunshot itself.

Neji had long gotten past blowing up in anger, but his blood ran cold at this revelation. "Who's Gaara?" His voice was as tight as his clenched fists.

"Heh. You'll know him soon enough." Kiba looked away from Hinata and popped a couple of chips in his mouth.

"I see. I'll have a word with him when I finally meet him." Neji promised, letting go of his anger for now as he looked at Lee. "I'm sorry you had to go through that alone. Tenten is my best friend too." _Was_. He clasped Lee's arm in shared mourning before there was a loud clang of silverware from the simple buffet laid out

"Hahhh! Stop trying to peer down my friend's shirt, pervert!" A girl with long brown hair was holding another girl close and pointing accusingly at a man in shades. Said man was holding out his hands in placation even when he had a dark flush on his face.

"How dare you accuse me of such a thing! I would never sully this prestigious hotel's name-" The man went on.

Letting out a long sigh, Neji pointedly ignored the scene on the other end of the room. "Hinata, don't ever go near Ebisu alright?"

"I-I won't." His cousin glanced behind them in bewilderment. Their group had spent so long fighting for their lives and surviving together at the mall that such outbursts had her on edge.

Lee was still nodding, Neji's hand on his arm comforting and familiar in a way that made his chest ache. He liked Gaara, and he enjoyed being a team with him against the outbreak, but he really missed being around friends he'd known for years, who he'd had a long and drawn out history with that could never be overlooked or forgotten. He tried to twitch his lips up in an appreciative smile, but could only frown unhappily. With the pervy old man as a distraction, Lee moved onto a new topic.

"So Neji," he said, turning and giving his friend his full attention. "Can you tell me about the scouting trips you've had?"

Neji nodded. "They're not necessarily scouting trips. This hotel runs on its own resources, and has a separate water system from the city's. I've been taking repair and maintenance teams out to make sure our water supply remains untainted, and check in on the solar power plant outside the city's borders. Ebisu was the concierge for the Crimson Sand, so he knows where everything is located."

He leaned forward on the table, propping his chin on folded fingers. "We're fortunate to stay in this hotel, but people are getting too comfortable. Temari needs to have a tighter grip on rations."

Lee looked around at a couple other tables. There were a few couple laughing and chatting, some even dressed fashionably or with make up on. "I suppose from the safety inside the hotel, it is hard for some people to let go of luxury." Lee said thoughtfully. "It would be easy to forget that food and clean water have to be fought for right now.

"So, does this mean that Miss Temari is in charge here?" It wouldn't surprise Lee that Gaara's skills and leadership tenancies were a family trait.

"She keeps everyone in line." Neji replied with a small frown. "Everyone was panicking and divided when she arrived with Baki, and a few others. I'll introduce them to you later. Remember that this hotel is _expensive_ , and those who can afford staying here don't take kindly to those ordering them around. Temari has the benefit of a well-known family name in Suna though, and I've seen what she does to those who try to cause trouble."

"I understand," Lee said, nodding and glancing at the other tables again. He'd probably end up spending most of his time with people he already knew anyway, and he could leave leadership to the Sabakus. They were powerful people, and they knew best how to keep everyone alive.

* * *

In a lounge just a couple rooms away from the service desk, Temari was having a discussion with one of the guests with a first floor room. The guest was having trouble sleeping at night because of the moaning outside, and was demanding a room on a higher floor, or that the zombies be taken care of. Temari had just finished explaining that- while the number of zombies in the local blocks had been seriously lowered thanks to the incline and sharpshooters- it was impossible to get them _all_. Moving to another room was an option, but it wasn't a good idea since the only free rooms left now were far away from everyone else in the hotel.

Just when Temari had diverted the guest's whines and complaining, she turned and nearly bumped into Lee, who had been waiting patiently for a break in conversation to speak with her.

"Hello, Miss Temari!" Lee smiled and waved in greeting friendily. "I was just looking for Gaara. Have you seen him around?"

Temari blinked at Lee, momentarily stumped when he waved at her this close. She smoothed down the lilac dress she had on and perched a hand on her hip. "I haven't seen him since this morning. I thought he'd be with you." She said calmly, even when her eyes- a darker green compared to Gaara's -were watching Lee closely.

"Oh, we went different places after we got up this morning," Lee smiled and shrugged. There was something unnerving in Temari's look that reminded him of the way Gaara sometimes looked at him. With Gaara it usually meant that he was trying to decipher something incredibly optimistic or youthful that Lee had said, but he didn't know what Temari was thinking. "He asked me to do something and get back to him. Do you know where he might have gone?"

"Gaara would want to know everything about this place. He's probably exploring." Temari replied with a quick smile- a sharp one that made her look like she was plotting something. "You seem very close to him. I'm curious to know what he hasn't told me of the months he's spent with you."

"Come this way, Lee Rock." With a look of intent on her face, she tapped Lee's shoulder and headed to the far side of the lounge where there were fewer guests lingering about.

Lee hesitated, feeling uneasy for some reason he couldn't quite place. Temari had smiled at him though, and she wasn't saying anything that should have made him uncomfortable, so Lee brushed it off as his imagination and followed behind the blond woman as she instructed. He tugged at the collar of his thick green sweater as he walked, and brushed down his hair. "I was just speaking to Neji, and he told me about what you do here. I was very impressed that you have been managing so many people at a time like this."

"Thank you. It's a hard task to carry out in these times, but someone has to do it." Temari took one of the separate sofa pieces without a backrest, crossing her legs as she sat down and gesturing to the long, soft sofa chair across from her. She knew for a fact that it was the type that had you sinking down into it. "Please take a seat."

Once Lee reached the sofa, she placed one hand on her knee and the other resting on top of it. Temari ran the internal affairs of Kazekage Industries, and right now, she gave Lee the same attention she would employ on important matters. "I read from Sasori's notes that you were a cameraman covering the virus. Gaara mentioned that the footage you took was significant in covering what happened at the start of the outbreak. How did you come across him exactly?"

Lee sat down and shifted in the sofa, blinking at how fluffy it was. He sank deep into the cushions as if there weren't even any springs. It was difficult to sit up. "Um, my friend Tenten and I were running for our lives when we bumped into Gaara in an alley. We asked if we could stay with him, and he took us to the apartment."

Lee wondered where Temari's line of questioning was going to lead. Was she curious about Tenten? Or maybe that they may have inconvenienced her brother? It was difficult to tell. "He saved our lives."

Temari nodded, the faint smile on her face softening for a second. "Not many people would be willing to do that." She said, before moving on. "I recognized the shirt worn by Kiba Inuzuka as my brother Kankuro's. From Gaara's account, he allowed another three people to stay at our apartment. I also understand that one of those people was killed on the way to the mall. Do you think Gaara was partly to blame for his death?"

"Of course not!" Lee's eyes widened and he shook his head. What kind of a question was that?! Lee defended his friend, "Gaara did everything he could to make sure we got to the mall safely, there was nothing he could do! No one is to blame for what happened to Shino."

"Maybe not in that instance. But I've noticed Kiba holds some animosity towards him." Temari replied, her eyes gleaming much like her brother's would. It wasn't the right time to lay the hard questions yet, so she diffused the situation with an easy one. "Tell me about your stay at the mall. You spent a long time there, didn't you?"

"Yes, a couple months," Lee settled back down into the sofa, realizing he'd jumped to the edge of his seat. His feathers de-ruffled as he shifted and clasped his hands on his lap. "It was hard to keep track of time after the outbreak, though. Gaara, Tenten, and I all stayed together in a wing of the mall."

"I see. You must have become quite close then. Otherwise, Gaara wouldn't have agreed to that arrangement." Temari brushed back her hair, which was tied in an unusual four-piece ponytail style. "I'm sure you've seen how he's more of a loner and introvert unless required otherwise. And with the mall's generators reserved for the winter, the nights must have been cold."

Temari allowed the smirk she'd been keeping in to show on her face. "Was that when you and your friend began sleeping in the same bed with him?"

"Oh, that," Lee immediately realized how that would seem odd and blushed. It hadn't ever seemed weird at the time, since he and Gaara were so comfortable with each other, but to anyone else it would have other implications for them to sleep in the same bed. "Yes, we each had our own mattress at first, but we pushed them together when the nights got too cold. We slept with Tenten between us, until we lost her." Lee's eyes saddened at the memory and he glanced away, but he continued speaking. "We still needed to keep warm after that. We are just friends."

"I'm sorry for the loss of your friend. Gaara said she was a strong woman." Temari said gently, the sadness echoed in her eyes as it reminded her of Kankuro. She'd had more time to reconcile with his death, and knew that he had at least gone down fighting, but it didn't hurt any less. "Was Gaara close to anyone else at the mall besides the two of you? He mentioned drinking sessions but only said they were also planning sessions with this Naruto Uzumaki."

"Yes, he and Naruto got along well. He was also friends with Hinata. He did not go out of his way to make friends a lot, but he became very close to me and Tenten." Lee thought as he looked down at the sofa's armrest. He plucked at a loose thread. "That was about it. He got along with some of the others, but we were the only ones I think you could count as close friends."

Temari hummed quietly, mulling over that. "Gaara doesn't make friends easily. Our family prefers to stick together, since trust is hard to gain from all of us." Her lips pulled up into a rueful smile. "So I wondered why he chose to stay with you last night when he had been staying with me. He must have felt safer sleeping next to you, besides both of you getting hit on the head during the night somehow." Her eyes flicked up at the slightly red bump on Lee's head, which looked much better after being treated by Moegi.

Was Temari jealous? Or possibly being protective of her little brother? Lee struggled to sit straighter against the fluffy cushions, trying to look trustworthy. His characteristically wide eyes shined. "We have just grown used to being near each other is all. To be honest, we were both having trouble sleeping before. Tenten would have wanted us to stick together, too. And as for the head bump," Lee rubbed the spot over his eye self consciously. It wasn't nearly so bad after Moegi had looked at him, but he was still going to have a small bruise for a little while. "That happened when we woke up. I was accidentally wrapped around him in the night, and he forgot who I was when he woke up, so he head butted me."

"You sleep right next to each other to the point where you can wrap your arms around him in the night." Temari's brows raised faintly as she emphasized each word. "And he doesn't mind?"

She began to tap her pointer finger against her knee as her overprotective sister senses kicked in. Gaara wasn't shy about letting people know his orientation, even if he didn't volunteer that information to just anyone. And this was starting to sound like one of those things Kankuro sometimes had to drink himself unconscious whenever Gaara brought them up. "He's never had friends as close as you two seem to be. Most of the time, he'd rather confide in Kankuro..." Her brows drew tight. "But I've never heard of anyone he's been this comfortable with. Are you in a relationship with him?"

"A relationship?" Lee's brows furrowed in confusion, before Temari's meaning clicked into place and he understood. "Oh! I know that Gaara is gay, but we are not- not like that, together. We are just friends. We are just really comfortable with each other. I have never been with men that way, so..." Lee let his voice trail off, shrugging. He felt embarrassed, discussing things like this openly. Temari was less blunt than Gaara, but she still knew how to reach the core of a discussion fast.

Temari stared at Lee without speaking, letting the last of Lee's words trail off in the air between them. The man sounded sincere and probably was telling the truth, but she knew her brother. He wouldn't voluntarily subject himself to intimate contact or even let people into his personal space without good reason. And it was in her nature to doubt Lee's sincerity, especially after what had happened. She nodded curtly and leaned back, letting her body relax before she set off a bomb, "So you remained friends with him even after he shot Tenten in the back."

Lee's jaw dropped and he blinked widely. A short, strangled sound came out of his throat as if he'd been trying to say something and the words wouldn't come. He shook his head once, shortly. "It... that- he cared about Tenten,, too. It was not like-" Lee shifted, uncomfortable under Temari's intent and unwavering stare. He tore his eyes away and looked down at his hands, forcing himself to take a deep breath. Then he took another. "We did not agree about what happened, but- Tenten would have wanted us to stay together. It was important. Especially because he needed someone to support him as the leader when the group traveled here, since he wasn't close to anyone else. Tenten... she would have wanted me to be his friend."

"I don't care what Tenten wanted you to do." Temari said evenly, her face grown neutral and emotionless until her resemblance with Gaara was uncanny. "You say you two are close friends, but the only reason you have for it is because Tenten wanted you to stay together. You don't even have the excuse of being in a relationship with him. What if she hadn't? What if she really felt betrayed by his actions? If it weren't for Gaara, she might have had a chance. You could have tried to cure her. He didn't even give you that."

"There is no cure," Lee said, though it seemed like he was speaking more to himself than Temari. "There- there was nothing I could have done. He... I do not like what he did, and I would have stopped him if I could, but he did it for the right reasons." Lee had practically been rehearsing this argument ever since he'd made the decision to stay friends with Gaara. It was clear in the automatic tone of his voice that it was hard for him to believe his own words this time. He _knew_ it was true, that Gaara had done it out of mercy, there was very little other choice, but... Lee dragged a hand down his face, wincing. "Tenten was bitten. There was nothing we could have done, and she was terrified of turning. Gaara told me that Kankuro was bitten, but did you see him _die_? How do you know for a fact that he is not alive?" Lee looked up and frowned at Temari. "It is because there is no cure, and we know that."

Temari took a deep breath and stared impassively at Lee. "Yes, there is no cure that we know of at the moment. Even if there is, those who are bitten die and turn too quickly for us to find it." She met the man's eyes continued, "I only have one brother left, Lee. I know how he puts the end above the means and sometimes hurts people for their own good. He can be callous, calculating and tactless. But I _see_ how he's come to value you besides being a warm body to sleep next to at night."

Her gaze hardened suddenly and her relaxed posture straightened up. "Don't make him regret letting you grow close to him. If you can't forgive him for what he's done, the least you can do is to keep him from knowing how his friend really thinks of him."

Lee's expression changed very quickly, shifting from more shock, outrage at her insinuation, hurt, regret, and finally resignation. There was nothing more he could say to her that would convince her of his good intentions toward her brother. Lee nodded, then slowly stood up from the sofa, his lips twisted unhappily. "Excuse me, Miss Temari. I need to continue searching for Gaara. Thank you for being so concerned about your brother."

Temari stood up as well, watching the unhappy look on Lee's face. Her methods were cruel, but it revealed a lot of things she now tucked away for examination later on. Her instincts and the result of her questioning told her that Lee hadn't completely let go of Tenten's death or Gaara's involvement in it, but there was still genuine friendship there. "Wait." She said, walking the short distance between them. Her face still set in that hard expression, she pulled the tall man into a brief hug and let go of him with a quick nod.

"Thank you for being his friend. You'll find Gaara in the control room." She didn't wait for a response as she turned heel and headed for the lounge exit.

Lee blinked after the woman, a mumbled thanks on his lips as he shook off his shock. Just when he'd begun to think that Temari was only cruel and fierce about getting what she wanted, she'd already changed his mind by reminding him what she was protecting so strongly. Temari was just being a good sister, in the best way she knew how, bystanders be damned. Lee paused, watching her leave through the exit doorway before moving his feet and heading toward the control room.


	7. Chapter 7

"I believe, Mr. Nara, that my four of a kind beats your flush." Baki intoned in a deep voice as he laid down his cards. Shikamaru groaned and flicked the plastic poker chip towards the older man. Another round passed with Neji raising his bet and drawing another card.

The game room was fast becoming everyone's favorite place to pass the time in. It was the hotel's gentlemen's club before the outbreak, and there were bookshelves adorning every wall, intercepted only by large windows that looked out on the desert horizon. A billiard table was set in one side, a portable roulette with plastic chips resting on one end, and board and card games were littered all over the room. There were always people in there when they weren't eating downstairs or lounging about, since the best part about it was that it was on the fourth floor and facing away from the city- far away from the sight of zombies downstairs and the moans.

Temari smirked behind her set of cards and began arranging them while Moegi peered with interest behind her. "See this hand? You can double your bet with this." She told the girl, taking on the task of teaching her the rules of poker. Udon sat back to back with Moegi, an adventure book in hand as he read close to the windows.

Over on the raised side of the room, Gaara worked on modifying scrapped bits and pieces into a serviceable weapon with Lee beside him, adding spikes to his own baseball bat. He kept glancing at his sister, who'd locked gazes with Shikamaru as both players kept their expressions from showing what cards they had. Despite Shikamaru's initial losses, he'd managed to amass a good pile of plastic chips and was now locked in a duel with the remaining high-roller after Neji folded, and Baki decided to deflect to Temari's side.

Drawing one card from the deck, Temari let a smirk cross her face with onlookers holding their breath. "The action's on you." She challenged.

Shikamaru just met her with a raised brow. By the time Temari laid down her cards, she announced confidently. "Full house, Mr. Nara."

"Eh, that's fine." Shikamaru scratched at his temple then carelessly set down his cards. "I'll take your pot, Miss Sabaku. Royal flush."

"What?! That's impossible!" Temari scowled at the cards, "Roll up your sleeves!"

"Maa~ so troublesome." Shikamaru complied, holding both bare forearms up then leaning over to rake in his winnings.

Snorting, Gaara's lips twitched up at the dark scowl on his sister's face as she demanded a rematch. Their family was normally collected and calculating, but there were also some things that had their tempers flaring, like Temari's pride.

Lee glanced over at the group, and couldn't help chuckling. It was incredibly easy to underestimate Shikamaru.

At the doorway to the game room, Hinata appeared quietly and smiled at everyone. She waved at Gaara, but then made her way to the poker table to sit next to Neji. He smiled at her in greeting. "Hello, Neji," she murmured, looking around as they doled out a new set of cards for the rematch.

"How are you doing today, Hinata?" he asked as he rearranged his chips. He glanced up curiously. "I was expecting to see that man with you, with the brown hair."

"Kiba," she said, shrugging. "He's somewhere in the hotel. He might come up and join us."

"I've been meaning to ask you about him," Neji's eyes glinted a little tighter. He hadn't had a chance to talk openly about why his cousin and the rude man seemed to spend so much time together, and were even sleeping in the same room, though they had two beds. "What exactly is your relationship with Kiba?"

"We're childhood friends." Hinata replied, missing the glint in Neji's eyes while she watched the new game being set. "He was my classmate since grade school, and my best friend together with- with Shino. We're the only ones left though." Her brows arched down at the memory before she shook her head and smiled up at her cousin. "He's been teaching me how to defend myself and surviving in the wild. He's very good at that."

Neji's mouth pulled into a tight frown, though most of it was directed at him. When Hinata had been in grade school, he'd vented his anger and frustrations with their family on the young girl. There was even a time he'd seriously injured her, after his father died taking the place of his brother in a kidnapping incident. Hinata had moved to a private school after that, and the guilt followed him well into adulthood, even when Hinata forgave him for it. "He's from the Inuzuka family, isn't he? The one that breeds dogs for police work and rehabilitation?"

"Yes," Hinata brightened up. "Kiba has a really cute dog called Akamaru. We had to leave him at the mall but I think you'd like him."

"Perhaps." Neji replied, gathering his cards and carefully fanning them out. "I would feel safer if you stayed close by. Would you like to share my room with me? I'm usually out so it would be like you had the room to yourself."

"Really?" Hinata blinked before a smile broke out on her face. She'd always looked up to Neji as an older brother, and tried to earn his respect, so his offer sounded like an opportunity for the two cousins to spend time together. "Maybe I can stay with you a few nights a week. I'm sure Kiba wouldn't mind."

"Wouldn't mind what?"

Plopping down beside Hinata, Kiba grinned wolfishly at his friend. "Missed me? I found some dried fruit in the pantry. Thought you'd want something sweet to snack on." He held out a small packet of dried fruit bits.

"Oh, thank you," Hinata smiled at her friend and took the packet, looking it over with appreciation. She didn't notice the scrutiny in Neji's expression on the other side of her as she spoke to Kiba. "Neji just offered to let me stay with him. I was thinking of spending a few days a week with him, and a few with you, if you don't mind."

Kiba's friendly expression faltered and a small frown tugged at his mouth. He glanced over at Neji, who was eyeing him without blinking. His brows pulled down.

"What's wrong with our sleeping arrangement now? We get along great," he defended.

"There's nothing wrong," Hinata said quickly. She tore open the fruit packet and pulled out a piece of a banana for herself, then handed a piece of apple to Neji. He accepted it with a smile and a thank you, and flashed Kiba a superior look when Hinata turned away.

"It's just, I haven't spent much time with Neji." Hinata chewed and swallowed the piece of fruit as she watched the game commence. "Don't worry, I won't miss my training lessons with you. Oh! And Gaara said he has a weapon in mind for me to use."

"What weapon?" Both men almost simultaneously asked, causing them to glare over Hinata's head. " _Keep it down._ " Temari said icily, turning her annoyance on them before getting back into the game. That smirk on the Nara boy's face was aimed towards her, she just knew it.

Flushing at Temari's scrutiny, and Neji and Kiba's question, she sank into her hoodie and said in a very small voice. "G-Gaara said I'd be good at handling a sharpened umbrella, and t-that it would be g-good defense."

Kiba sighed shortly, shooting a returned glare at Temari and Neji. He slid a hand over Hinata's shoulder and rubbed her back soothingly, aware that her self-concious stutter had returned. "We can work with that during our lessons, but I'd still feel better if you stuck to long ranged weapons, so you're not at risk."

"I'd have to agree with that," Neji said, frowning as he picked up his cards and threw in his bet. "Any form of fighting is dangerous, but it would be safer if you stayed away from any short range threats."

"I should st-still know how, j-just in case," she said, her brows furrowed as she examined the poker chips in the middle of the table, fiddling with her fingers and leaning against Kiba's hand on her back. "I was gonna ask Gaara t-to show me what he had in m-mind."

"I would appreciate it if you stayed away from him. He's not a good role model to follow." Neji studied his cards before discarding one on his turn and drawing another. Temari looked over at him with a thin-lipped frown, but didn't call him out on it. "It's enough that you're being tutored in basic self-defense. I won't let anything harm you."

Bristling at Neji's subtle jab, Kiba pulled Hinata close and spoke to her gently. "Look, Hinata, you're getting better alright? As much as I'd hate to admit it, I agree with your cousin." He clasped the back of her neck and patted her head. "I'll teach you what you want to know; you don't need to be on the frontlines anyway."

"S-Stop it, b-both of you. I-I _want_ to learn and t-that's my choice to make." Hinata finally said, pulling away from Kiba's hands and taking the packet of dried fruits. She kept her head bowed as she stood up. "T-Thank you for the fruits, Kiba. I-I think I'll g-go over there first."

She held the packet against her chest and walked briskly towards where Lee and Gaara were.

* * *

Lee was standing at the front doors of the hotel, looking out the windows as he waited. He had a question for Sasori, who was usually found at the front desk with Zetsu, but both men had gone somewhere and left a "out for lunch" sign on the desk. Lee thought it was odd, since they usually just brought their food with them wherever they went, but he wasn't one to scrutinize.

It was only a few minutes later that Sasori appeared behind the desk from the offices behind, and raised a brow at Lee blankly. "You need something?" he asked.

"Oh, yes, I was just wondering," Lee started to turn around, and yelped loudly when he realized that Zetsu had been right behind him, standing incredibly close without explanation. He took a step back, and put a hand over his chest with a long, relieved exhale. "Wow! Sorry, I did not see you there. You startled me."

"What does this one want with us? He has shiny, shiny hair." Zetsu mumbled to himself as he slowly walked around Lee to stand next to him, looking at the far wall.

Sasori pulled down the sign on the desk and rang the little silver with a bored look on his face. "What's with the ugly green sweater? With a name like Rock, you sure don't look that hardcore." He said, pulling out an outdated magazine and flipping through the glossy pages. "What do you want?"

"Oh, um, I heard you had a copy of the scouting schedule. I was just hoping to take a look at it." Lee looked down at his sweater, wondering why anyone would call it ugly. Green was the color of springtime and hope! Plus it was warm. He approached the desk, trying to get some distance from Zetsu while also speaking with Sasori. He smiled at the man politely. "How are you doing today, Sasori?"

"I'm stuck in a hotel with the zombie apocalypse outside, and I've been downgraded from guest to receptionist. Not to mention, I can't even get a decent lunch break without some dork with caterpillar brows pestering me." Sasori said in just two breaths, reaching below the desk without taking his eyes off the magazine and sliding a record book towards Lee. "Knock yourself out."

Zetsu brought both hands up to grip the collar of his long coat, holding both ends close as if trying to wrap himself in them. "Caterpillars have fur all over. They itch when you touch them but the caterpillar dies when you pluck the big ones off.

"That's not hair, Zetsu. You probably plucked out their legs." Sasori commented.

Lee's eyes were wide as he glanced between the two men. He still had Gaara's advice in mind, but at the same time he wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt for how they behave in this time of crisis. This dialogue however, was getting creepy.

"Thanks," Lee muttered, picking up the schedule and looking it over. He pulled out a pocket sized notebook from his jeans and quickly jotted down some names and times, for future reference. He handed it back after a moment, and put his notepad away. He decided to give the men one more shot. "I have heard about all the work you have put in, keeping things organized and manning the desk. It may not seem like a big job now, but I admire your dedication! You have undoubtedly become a strong source of support for the survivors in the building."

Sasori looked up at Lee. His red hair was much longer than Gaara's after his hair cut, but it looked almost the same shade as the other redhead's. "That so?" He set down his magazine flat on the desk, keeping a hand on the page he'd been reading. Titling his head slightly to the side, he eyed Lee up and down. "No one likes a suck-up. You know what I think? I'd be a strong source of support if Temari would let me kick out the useless bags of flesh in this hotel. They don't deserve the luxury of lazing around while everyone does the work."

"If they'd act as meat barriers in a zombie attack though, well, that's a different story." Sasori said, going back to reading his magazine without a shift in his expression.

Lee's jaw dropped as if he was going to say something, but nothing came out. That... was incredibly disturbing. Lee shook his head, and muttered a quick "thank you for your time" and turned around, yelping as he came face to face with Zetsu once again. He laughed nervously, and left the reception area. Gaara was right- these people were just a little crazy.

* * *

Lee ducked one of Gaara's swings and leaped back, giving himself some room to counter. He grinned in triumph as he tried sweeping at the redhead's legs with one of his own, trying to knock him to the ground.

Lately during Lee's training routine, he'd gotten in the habit of sparring with Gaara if his friend wasn't busy. Most of the hand to hand moves they used wouldn't be put on them by a stiff zombie, but they were good methods for self defense and keeping up on agility.

Lee cried out with a loud hya!" of effort as he swung his leg harder.

Instead of moving away, Gaara simply leaped up when Lee swept his leg. The movement propelled him forward and gave him some force in kicking it away with both legs. He tried getting a punch in, but missed Lee's face by inches.

Gaara was panting and sweating at the workout he was getting, gloomily noting that Lee barely looked tired. His friend was even _beaming_ at him. The redhead was good at killing zombies and utilizing anything nearby as weapons, but fighting hand-to-hand was _not_ appreciated by his aching body. It was better than the first time Lee asked to spar with him though. Gaara found out the hard way how fast Lee could move and how accurate his hits were.

Taking in a breath, he suddenly kicked out low, aiming for Lee's lower leg while already swinging his arm from the same side to go with the momentum of his body.

Lee only had a split second to react; he didn't hesitate, didn't try to think it through as his body moved. He saw both Gaara's leg and arm, and knew he couldn't duck both, so instead he lifted his hands and caught Gaara's arm in both of his. As the redhead's legs continued momentum to sweep Lee's out from under him, Lee tugged Gaara down onto the ground with him.

Grunting as he landed sharply on his shoulder, Lee rolled and shoved Gaara's shoulders to the ground, pinning him. His grin flashed deviantly, and his hair fell down around his face. "Give up yet?" he asked, tightening his knees around Gaara's waist to hold him down.

It was over in a second and Gaara blinked up in a daze as he was pinned to the ground. Lee's face swam in his vision, his grin and the thick shroud of hair framing it prompting a hitch in his breath. This wasn't the first time he got served by his friend's superior hand-to-hand skills, and in every single spar he somehow ended up flat on his back.

Gaara glared up as his chest heaved in exhaustion, cheeks flushed from the blood rushing to his face. And it _wasn't_ because Lee's confidence was attractive. "No." He managed to say before sliding his arms between Lee's to dislodge the hold on his shoulders, but found himself unable to throw off the other man on top of him while he was sitting that high up. Grabbing the front of Lee's shirt with both hands, he threw his weight to the right and lifted his hips up to reverse their positions.

Lee huffed in surprise as Gaara knocked his arms loose and rolled him onto his back. He tried to use the momentum to keep rolling until he was on top again, but Gaara wasn't letting go of his shirt or leverage, causing them to roll once more until Lee was on his back again, grunting low as Gaara's hands dug into his chest, still gripping his shirt.

Lee only needed half a second to formulate a new plan, and quickly grabbed Gaara's wrists in each of his hands, forcing them wide apart so that the redhead's upper body fell onto his. His knees were still on either side of Gaara's waist, and he hooked his ankles behind the man's back to hold him in place.

"You are on top now, but you still cannot move," Lee stated, squeezing the other man's wrists and pulling his arms wider. "I do not think you can get out of this one."

"Hngh." One of Gaara's eyes were shut as his cheek and chin pressed against Lee's face. The grip on his wrists was tight, almost as tight as Lee's thighs squeezing his torso. He breathed in with effort and slid his chin back so he could face the other man, keeping one eye shut to avoid going cross-eyed with their noses just an inch away from each other. He breathed rapidly through his nose, testing the strength of Lee's hold on him by pulling his arms back and struggling.

"You're...squeezing...my ribs." He ground out, lips brushing against Lee's jaw as he spoke.

"Does that mean you give up?" Lee asked, not relenting in the least. Lee was all compassion and sympathy in most cases, but this was a challenge between men! His face flushed as he held Gaara's arms wide and felt breath and lips at his jaw, but his grin never faltered. He tipped his head up in effort as Gaara jerked against him, managing to bend his arms for a split second before his grip snapped them back into place.

His face was almost touching Gaara's shoulder. Lee turned his head and his mouth brushed against Gaara's ear as he spoke. His legs squeezed. "You can always give up now, and you might win the next round. Or you can stay here on top of me until you cannot take it anymore."

Gaara was stubborn and he shook his head once. Not even Lee's offer or the brush of his mouth against his ear had him relenting. But damn if he was starting to grow light-headed from the tightness around his waist. Both eyes shut tight, his cheeks a warm red against his normally pale skin, as his useless struggling only served to tire him out. He didn't want to just _give_ up. When his lungs started to burn though, the tension along his arms and body flowed out in one long breath, leaving him slumping limply against the other man.

His head fell against Lee's neck as his vision darkened for a moment, circles of light dancing behind his eyelids as he sucked in precious air.

As soon as Gaara stopped struggling Lee unhooked his ankles and let his legs slide to the ground on either side of Gaara's body. The redhead felt heavier than he looked now that his body was fetched so limply. Lee blinked owlishly as he felt Gaara panting desperately on top of him. He let go of the man's wrists and put his hands on Gaara's ribs, feeling the way they expanded and contracted so fast and deep. He must've had a tighter grip than he'd thought. Lee chuckled to himself. It was Gaara's fault for not admitting defeat sooner!

"That felt good," he commented, still chuckling. "We should do this more often."

"And what were you two doing, exactly?" asked a low voice slowly on the other side of the room. Neji was standing in the doorway, his brows pulled together tightly in confusion and some alarm at the state he'd find the two men in.

The sound of Neji's voice brought a small groan from Gaara, soft enough that only Lee would hear it. His body felt like jelly as oxygen flowed into his lungs, and he wanted to just lie there for a minute or two to recover. Pressing his palms on either side of Lee's head, Gaara lifted his chest off of Lee and looked blearily at Neji.

His unruly hair and the sweat on his skin earned him a disturbed look from the other man. He glanced down at Lee with his cheeks still flushed, before rolling onto his back and staring up at the ceiling. The cool ceramic tiles of the hotel function room felt good against his heated skin. "Lee wanted to spar." He breathed out.

Neji frowned and walked over to his friend, offering a hand up. "You could have asked me if you wanted to spar." He said, still shifting his gaze between Lee and Gaara suspiciously. "That looked like more than sparring to me."

"Oh, I did not think to ask you, Neji," Lee said, his voice surprised at the idea. He took his friend's hand and pulled himself onto his feet, then brushed himself off. He glanced down at Gaara and his ears turned red as he realized what that must have looked like to Neji. Even without lying on top of him anymore, Gaara's messy hair, sweaty and flushed skin, and the dazed look on his face seemed suspicious.

"Um, Gaara would not give up, so I had to suffocate him a little," Lee explained, flushing harder at the scrutiny Neji was throwing at him. He shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "You and I can spar next time."

"Hn," Neji said, seemingly unconvinced.

Getting his strength back, Gaara got up on his own and pulled his loose shirt up, pressing his face against the fabric to get the sweat out of his eyes. It bared his midriff, where a red tattoo flashed briefly close to his pelvis. Gaara didn't have the good set of abs that Lee had, but his body was leaner with a lot of his strength coming from his arms and back. Swinging golf clubs and training with the crossbow had developed what used to be just thin arms and a freckled back.

"Lee has pincers for legs." He countered, ignoring the insinuation in Neji's words and the pounding in his chest. Hinata's cousin had already made his dislike for him clear earlier on.

Turning to Lee, Neji's eyes still held that stern scrutiny in them as he wiped his hand on his pants. "Spar in the upper floors next time. If anyone else had seen you, they would have assumed you were intimate." He frowned at Gaara before turning to other matters. "I'd appreciate it if you accompanied me when I escort the repair team tomorrow. We're carrying more equipment to the solar plant."

"Sure," Lee replied, his cheeks a slightly deeper shade of red at Neji's blunt words, though he was trying to smile and shrug it off. He nodded avidly and gave his friend a thumbs up. "I would love to join you tomorrow. I will rest up and be ready to carry whatever you need!"

"We're meeting in the lounge next to the lobby. We start early." Neji nodded curtly at Lee and turned on his heel, leaving the room and taking a sharp turn down the hall. Lee sighed and relaxed, propping a hand on his hip and wishing his friend didn't have to be so stiff and moody.

Turning back to Gaara again, Lee shook his head. "I am usually pretty dense, but even I thought that was a bit awkward. He walked in on us at a unique moment," he said, smirking at Gaara. His eyes slid down the other man's torso and zeroed in on the tattoo above his pelvis. He pointed at it and raised his brow. "What is that? I thought desk workers were not supposed to have tattoos."

There was a strained look on Gaara's face that easily slid into stoicism. Lee didn't need to know that he'd liked the easy closeness between them, and his hands pressed against his sides. "Nobody can see it when I have a shirt on." He lowered his shirt over the tattoo and found his hotel slippers kicked under a table.

He craned his head towards Lee, trying to deflect interest from the mark. "Your friend doesn't like me. He said I should stay away from Hinata."

"He said that?" Lee asked, his smile wilting. He glanced at the door Neji had left through. That sounded like his friend. "I am sorry about him. He has a complicated history with his family, but he seems protective of Hinata."

Lee reached his arms above his head and stretched the muscles along his ribs. He dropped them again after a pause and sighed. "And to be honest, he has been good friends with Tenten and I since we were all in school together. I told him what happened to her, and he is... he has mixed feelings about it."

So that was it. Gaara nodded once with his eyes lingering briefly on Lee's form. Now he knew where Neji was coming from, though that didn't mean he'd do anything about it. "His feelings shouldn't interfere with Hinata's safety. I showed her how to use an umbrella as a weapon. She can defend herself short range now with less chance of getting bitten."

He could feel the sweat drying on his skin, and the chill reaching him quickly through it. Walking over to his friend, he touched his forearm briefly with quiet intent in his eyes. "The odds were against you meeting Neji again. Spend as much time with him as you need to, but be careful tomorrow. I won't be there to protect you."

"I will be careful," Lee said, regarding Gaara with a slowly rising smile. It always seemed to make his head and chest pleasantly light when Gaara showed concern for him like this. It was touching. Gaara tended to prefer showing tough love over anything else, and when he thought someone wasn't strong enough he told them so, so that they wouldn't put themselves at risk. It wasn't often that Gaara admitted he cared.

"Right!" Lee declared loudly, making a resolute fist with a youthful glint in his eye. He leaped back into a stance and held up one hand, putting the other behind his back. He grinned in challenge. "Are you ready for the next round? Or are you still too light headed?"

Gaara's brows raised slightly but he kicked off the slippers again and took a similar stance across from Lee. "Let's go."

* * *

Wind and sand buffeted the large cement structure that housed Suna's solar power plant. It was a low squat building from afar with solar panels angled out towards the hot desert, but once the group had climbed on top, the middle portion spiraled down until it reached a heavily plated platform that served as the entrance inside. Lowering down the new generator salvaged from the city, the repairmen called out to each other with their mouths and noses covered as they carefully made their way to the platform.

Standing on top of the building with his rifle slung over his shoulder, Neji placed a hand on Lee's shoulder, his pale eyes scanning the horizon behind clear goggles. "Keep your eyes open out here. Few zombies ever make it through the desert, but we've had run-ins with raiders this month."

"Raiders?" Lee repeated, looking at his friend from behind a similar pair of goggles. His bowl cut ruffled lightly in the wind, but not a hair wasn't shining and neat. He glanced around at the other men, and gave an occasional thumbs up in support of all the hard work. They only nodded back to him, or kept working. "Do you mean other survivors? Why would they not join us?"

"They've never initiated conversation in the past times they'd tried to take over the plant. This building has good security, and they know the only way they'll get in is with the right keys to it. They've shot at us before." Neji replied, glancing at his friend before taking stock of his surroundings again. "There are people who think the epidemic is a blessing. Who enjoy looting and killing over resources."

"That is horrible," Lee said, jaw dropped in shock under his face mask. It was hard to believe that there were people out there who wouldn't pull together in a time of crisis, or only worked to take care of themselves at the cost of others. Lee shook his head. "I will keep an eye out and tell you if I notice anything. What do you need me to do now that we have the equipment here?"

Neji paused in thought as he leaned over the building. The repairmen had pulled the platform's door open and one was making his way down inside while holding on to one side of the generator. "If you help them install the new generator and do the systems check, we can head back to the city quickly. I'll give a signal if I see anyone coming."

"Alright! Will do," Lee nodded in affirmative and left to join the rest of the group with the generator. The group was mostly composed of people he hadn't gotten to know yet, who'd been at the hotel since the beginning of the outbreak. They were still a little wary of him, as a somewhat inclusive group, but Neji said he was okay and they weren't unfriendly to him. Lee got to work with the heavy lifting and lowering, since that tended to be what he was best at. His muscles bulged until his sweater and coat with effort, and sweat strained across his brow, but his smile was strong without fail.

The plant was hot inside, but there were fans working over time from the sides and even under the grillwork on the floors. One of the repairmen switched off the power for a moment as they unhooked one of the generators from the slot. The generators were heavy by themselves, and it took the coordinated efforts of both men to haul the part out of its slot.

The Crimson Sand regularly replaced and recharged their generators at the plant, giving the hotel a lot of backup power in case one generator broke down. But with the outbreak, Temari's orders were to keep each generator charged and fully maintained, even going so far as to salvage similar parts from the city whenever they could.

After an hour's work of testing if everything ran smoothly, one of the repairmen returned Lee's thumbs up as the plant was turned back on. The place hummed with banked up power just as a sharp bang fired off from above ground. "We need to get this junk to the truck." One of the repairmen said urgently, already picking up one end of the busted generator they'd replaced. The other man shook his head, still checking the levels to make sure they were stable. "Can you help me get this up, Lee? Neji will cover our backs."

"Of course," Lee said, grabbing the other side immediately. He shot a worried glance at the wide window, but then focused on the task at hand as they lifted and began to move the generator. They moved carefully as they carried it through the building, trying not to trip or loose their grip, but also struggling to move quickly. Another shot was heard just as they stepped out to the building lip, and the men gave each other an uneasy glance.

"Careful now," Lee murmured as they lifted the generator higher, positioning it to be put on the truck. He could feel sweat on the back of his neck, thick and grimy as the wind whipped sand and dirt against him.

In an instant things seemed to move in slow motion as yet another shot was fired. Lee barely had time to blink before the bullet hit him, but it seemed like several minutes had gone by as he glanced over the edge and saw the raiders aiming their gun at him, Neji shouting close by with his weapon aimed on the enemy. Lee's eyes squeezed shut behind his goggles in shock and pain, and his precarious grip on the generator slipped.

A shout rang out and was swallowed by the wind as the generator fell against the other man, the remaining repairman hurriedly stumbling over the building's lip and past Lee to catch the generator from sliding down all the way. He spared a glance at Lee and paled when he saw the blood blooming over Lee's clothed limb. There was little time to spare as the generator was hauled onto the back of the truck and both men scrambled to get the vehicle started.

Neji appeared at the top of the building, firing two shots behind him before leaping over the building's edge. He grabbed hold of Lee on the way and manhandled him onto the back of the truck, jumping in after him. Three figures appeared just as they sped off into the desert back to the city, Neji managing to take one out before they disappeared over the horizon.

Lee ground his teeth and groaned in pain. He was losing blood fast.


	8. Chapter 8

In the hotel's kitchen, Temari was going through the cupboards stacked with canned food. Dinner each night was different based on who was cooking and what was available, but the general standard was to have at least one big dish or two that everyone could have pieces of. In the beginning they'd actually had chicken and beef stored in the freezer, but there was almost none of that left anymore.

"What are you in the mood for, Gaara?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder at her younger brother. He was on cooking duty with her tonight, since it was their turn.

This was their second attempt at something edible by using pre-cooked ingredients. The last time the Sabaku siblings were given cooking duty, they'd gotten complaints on their choice of food. Temari had simply said, 'Shut up and eat, or starve.' Neither she nor Gaara were very good with domestic chores in the first place, much like their father. Kankuro had been most decent at it amongst their family- meaning he didn't burn meals like they did or tear holes in the laundry.

Gaara had a selection of cans in hand, nearly all of them boasting of some spicy sauce or another. He finally held up canned spicy corned beef, taking a few more cans for everyone's share at the hotel. He brought them to the table. "We need to find more food." He said, pulling out a clean wok.

"There were still cans at home when we left. The next time I get a chance to, I'll make a run back." He kept his eyes on the task at hand, cracking the cans open with a can opener one after another. The wok simmered on the stove when he poured in the first can. "I'll bring back our family pictures for you too."

Temari closed the cupboard and turned around. Her brows furrowed, but she smiled and nodded. "Thank you. I'd like that. Just don't go alone, and try searching somewhere else if you run into a horde.

"Don't fill the wok to the brim like last time," She warned, pulling out a long handled spoon and set it down next to the wok to use for stirring when they needed it. Temari leaned back against the counter and crossed her arms, watching her brother work. "I saw Kiba wearing a shirt that belonged to Kankuro. I think a pair of jeans that Lee wears were his, too. Did you give out any of my clothing?"

"Yes. Tenten and Hinata borrowed some of your shirts when they stayed at our apartment." Gaara replied, moving the wok back and forth. After a moment, he picked up the spoon and basically mashed the meat against the wok.

There was something else on his mind as he cooked, and it was evident in the far-off look in his eyes while he mechanically heated up the corned beef. "Do we still have enough rice for everyone?"

Temari nodded. "Yes. I just looked." She wasn't oblivious to her brother's mood, and practiced nonchalance as she regarded him from the corner of her eye. She picked up a can and examined the back of it as she spoke. "What's on your mind? You've been distracted today. It's not like you."

Gaara finally turned his gaze towards her, exhaling through his nose before flipping over a large chunk of the corned beef. It wasn't in his nature to beat around the bush, and Temari would know if he tried to deflect the question. "Neji's group left just before lunch." He said, "Baki told me they can take the whole day if something goes wrong and it's already mid-afternoon."

Temari nodded. "It isn't a short job to do a run to the power plant, or easy. It usually takes a few hours. We've been having trouble with raiders lately, too. They've been hostile."

Temari looked down at her brother's hands as he flipped and mixed the food, probably more than what was really necessary. She could see through Gaara's mask better than most anyone, even their father. The only one who'd been able to read Gaara better was Kankuro. "You're concerned about them? Lee hasn't been out to the power plant before."

Gaara frowned slightly, finding the corned beef he was cooking a sad red-brown gruel after his stirring. He switched off the heat and made room for Temari to make some broth out of the bone defrosting in the sink. He wiped his hands on a paper towel. "The group is too small as it is. If Neji was the only one guarding the truck and the repairmen, their security isn't that good in the first place. You should have posted more people to protect them."

"We don't have more people," Temari said. She pulled out a tall pot and filled it halfway with water, before setting it on the electric burner. She set the heat to let it boil. "There aren't as many able bodied people here as we need, and almost everyone who isn't at the power plant is doing other jobs." Temari leveled her brother with a look. "You know that."

Temari had a way of catching him when he let emotions overtake logic. Gaara rarely allowed that to happen, but his siblings always knew when he did. The knot between his brows deepened as he crossed his arms and glared at the empty cans on the table. He exhaled sharply and let his thoughts drift to the past.

"When I was at home, I waited for you and Kankuro to arrive." He intoned dully. "We stayed there for almost a week. Why didn't you come home?"

Temari set the heat under the pot higher and put the lid on, hoping it would boil faster. She glanced at her brother, then fetched the leg bone in the sink. "I didn't think you would be there, Gaara. When the outbreak hit and everyone was dying, Kankuro and I found each other right away. We were on our way to find you when Kankuro was bitten. Baki and I couldn't fight our way to your floor, and we couldn't see any way that you might have escaped from that high up without getting infected. I thought you were dead."

Temari lifted the lid of the pot, letting a rush of steam rise quickly before she dropped the bone inside and put the lid back on. She sighed. "I thought about going to the apartment, just in case. But by then we were at the hotel, and there were too many people who needed help here. I thought... I was also afraid that I really would find the apartment empty."

It was hard to swallow down Kankuro's death even after he'd accepted his brother was dead. He hadn't been there, hadn't been able to fight for his family, hadn't had the chance to even see Kankuro's body so he wouldn't sometimes wake up wondering where his brother was. "...I took the stairs down instead of going up to find you. I assumed you'd be home, so I didn't look back." He bit the inside flesh of his lower lip, then looked up with resolution on his face. "I won't make the same mistake. Did you hear anything from father before the outbreak?"

"No. I never heard anything from father, or any of the people he worked with, either."

Temari was facing the pot, but she was watching her brother's expression from the corner of her eye the whole time. She could still remember when he was just a little kid lugging around his over-sized teddy bear, and she would tease him by calling him a 'creepy redhead,' or other cruel childish names. His lower lip would protrude and his brows would furrow in confusion then, just like when he was trying to understand why the other children wouldn't play with him. He'd had a similar look on his face just now, until the resolve of an adult returned.

Turning away from the stove, Temari wrapped her arms around her brother in a tight hug. "Don't do anything stupid. Even if it might seem like a mistake later, I just want you to stay alive with me."

Gaara's eyes widened with the sudden show of affection, but he brought his hands up to rest on her forearms. He observed, with a sense of detachment, that he was more used to Lee's hugs than he was to his own sister's. "...I'll let you know before I do anything stupid." He compromised, though the look on his face softened with this turn of events.

They'd finished preparing the meal for everyone and were putting away the dirty cans and utensils they'd used, when Udon burst into the kitchen, the teen sniffling but calling out urgently, "Lee's hurt! Moegi's tending to him, but he's lost a lot of blood-"

Udon yelped when Gaara suddenly dropped what he was holding and strode out of the kitchen in a rush. By the time he'd exited the dining area, he'd broken into a run towards the front lobby.

* * *

" _Mmghn-_ " Lee grit his teeth and forced himself to breathe through the pain. Moegi had cut through his jacket and sweater to reach the wound in his arm without making it worse. She was examining it now, her face pale and her hands a tad shaky as she worked.

"Sorry," she bit out, wincing at the sounds Lee was making. She grabbed the gauze from the first aide kit and began quickly wrapping it around Lee's wound to hold back the bleeding until she could get everything ready for stitches.

Lee clenched his free hand against his leg, trying to stop himself from moving as the added pressure made it hurt worse. His skin was even paler than Moegi's from blood loss, and his eyes were slightly unfocused. "It is okay," he said through his teeth, trying to sound convincing despite everything as he shook his head slowly. "You are doing a good job."

Moegi pressed against the wound, wincing at the tightness in Lee's voice as Matsuri laid down medical equipment beside him. The long conference table was the closest surface they could find that was also far away from the doors, with Lee's blood attracting walkers to the hotel. "Please keep this tight." She handed over the task to the other girl and briskly washed her hands in the bowl of alcohol, just as an argument rose outside of the office door.

Both girls looked up in surprise when the office door was flung against the wall, Neji pressed up against the glass window of the door by a glaring redhead. "I said get out of my way." He hissed, letting go of the other man's collar and turning his heel around- only to stop where he was and openly stare at Lee's bloody arm with wide eyes. "Are you bitten?" The words shot out of his mouth, stiff and cold.

Lee shook his head slowly, feeling dizzy. He blinked at Gaara and his breath shuddered. "It is a bullet wound. I am not infected."

"It is getting hard to sit up straight," he murmured to the girls. Lee winced as he spotted the needle in Moegi's fingers as she sanitized in with the alcohol. Lee had had stitches before, but he never enjoyed it.

"It's the blood loss," Moegi explained, looking up at him quickly. "It's making you weak." She turned and called to the door over her shoulder. "Can someone help prop him up, please?"

Gaara forced his legs to move as he made his way to Lee's side, prying the man's strong fingers off his leg and hooking Lee's arm around his shoulder. "Hold my shoulder." He murmured quickly. He slid an arm around Lee's waist to help keep him up while Moegi nodded at Matsuri. The older girl began to unwind the bandages, spraying the area with contact lens solution. They were severely lacking in medical supplies, and though Lee looked like he needed a saline drip, this was the best they could do.

"Did you get the bullet out?" Gaara snapped, earning him a similarly curt, "The bullet went clean through," from Moegi, who looked harassed as she dabbed at the bloody skin.

"I'm going to start." She said then slid the needle into Lee's skin, holding both sides of the open wound as Sakura had taught her.

Lee gripped Gaara's shoulder and clung firmly, forcing the arm that Moegi handled to relax. It would only make things worse if he tensed up. He sucked in a breath as he felt the needle pierce his skin and turned his face toward Gaara to stop himself from watching and flinching.

"It has been a while since I have been hurt this badly," he choked out. His fingers tightened on Gaara's shoulder. "I have been injured plenty of times, but I always got painkillers quickly."

Gaara's face was tightly controlled as he bore the hard clamp of Lee's hand, his eyes the only thing betraying the concern he felt. The table dug against his side with his body acting as Lee's support, but it was nothing compared to what his friend was going through. "You shouldn't have been hurt at all." He said, using his free hand to slide Lee's bangs out of his eyes, his palm acting as support for Lee's forehead and also keeping him facing Gaara instead of the needle moving in and out of his skin.

Matsuri added another dose of saline as Moegi worked carefully, sweat forming on her brow. Lips pulling into a tight line, Neji stepped out of the office and closed the door behind him, fully aware that Lee had gotten hurt on _his_ watch.

"When was the last time you got this hurt?" Gaara asked, trying to keep the conversation going as a distraction.

"Ngh- It- It was my leg," Lee grit out. His head was starting to hurt, and he vaguely realized he was probably dehydrated. "I was visiting my uncle, and I got hit by a car. It w-was a student driver. It was only a hairline fracture, but I needed crutches for a while."

"Almost done," Moegi said shortly without hesitating with the needle.

Lee leaned his forehead against Gaara's hand and slid his eyes closed. "I- I got some of the scars on my arms from landing on the pavement, when that happened."

"...You recovered from it, and got stronger." Gaara said, unable to imagine how someone with such a strong body could have gone through so many injuries. He'd only seen the scars on Lee's arm when the man did his bandages at night, and heard about the network of knotted skin across his body. Lowering his voice, he spoke close to Lee's ear, trying to keep the other man conscious despite the pain. "Tell me about your uncle."

"We need to sanitize the wound before I close it." Moegi instructed to Matsuri, looking grim as the girl nodded and reached for the bottle of alcohol. "Get me a fresh roll of bandages too."

"Uncle Gai is amazing," Lee said, trying to twitch his lips up once before wincing again, as if it hurt to smile. "He took me in when I had nowhere else to go, even though he was not married and did not have his own kids. I modeled my haircut after his."

Lee stopped talking abruptly as more stinging alcohol was applied to his wound, making him curl his toes in his shoes to stop himself from tensing his wounded arm. His breath was rough, but he was holding himself together. Having Gaara there to help support him was helping, too. He forced his fingers to stop digging into the other man's shoulder and blinked blearily. "I have never lost this much blood before. It is making me dizzy. G- Gaara," Lee looked up, his thick brows furrowed and his voice quiet. "If I had been bit, were you going to kill me?"

Gaara's throat felt dry, and he had to swallow a few times to answer Lee's question and the look in his eyes. As Moegi finished sewing the last strands of thread through Lee's arm, Gaara found his voice. "...I would wait until the last possible second." He replied, looking into the pained unfocused pupils of the other man's eyes and finding that he'd lied. He would have killed him the minute he turned.

Once the thread was cut, Matsuri applied a liberal amount of Betadine from the hotel's first aid kit before wrapping up Lee's arm with the roll of gauze. "Don't move your arm for the next two days. I don't know how well the stitches are going to hold." Moegi told him with a worried frown on her face but the color returning to her skin.

"Okay. Thank you," he replied. He looked at Moegi and forced a smile, though it was obviously tense. "Do you think you can fashion a sling for me? I will keep my arm out of the way more easily that way."

"Already on it," she said, nodding. "I was going to use what's left of your shirt and jacket."

Lee kept his arm around Gaara while Moegi finished cutting the fabric of Lee's torso. She threw away the bloody sleeves in favor for the dry parts, and gently tied it the way Sakura had instructed her, around Lee's neck and elbow.

"I already feel better," he lied, still forcing a smile, though he was trying his best to make it seem genuine. It _did_ feel good not to be losing blood anymore, but his wound was _aching_ , and so was his head. Matsuri found a bottle of water nearby, and unscrewed the cap for Lee, who finally let go of Gaara and drank gratefully, though his stomach was miserable and churning. He set down the bottle and started to slide his legs off the side of the desk. "All better! Now I will just walk up to my room, or maybe the restaurant first."

"Don't lie. You're not better at all," Gaara said, taking the Betadine and extra gauze wraps Matsuri handed over. "I'm taking you to your room and bring up food later.'

"I think you should lie down for a bit, Lee." Moegi chided gently and turned to Gaara. "Make sure his wounds are cleaned every hour today, and change his bandages before bed. Miss Sakura said to always play it safe."

Gaara glanced at Lee silently and found that his pulse was racing from the scare.

Every other time Lee had been injured in his life, he'd tried to brush it off and say he felt great no matter what, because it always eased his uncle's worries. He'd kept that habit over the years since he'd moved out, but for once he couldn't quite find the energy to protest all the concern he was getting. His body hurt too much, and his head wasn't the clearest at the moment.

"Yosh," he said, nodding at Moegi's instructions. That made him dizzier instantly, causing him to sway where he sat. He looked at Gaara blearily. "Thank you. I am sorry about this."

"Don't talk." Gaara replied, exhaling through his nose and offering his shoulder again for Lee to lean on. With both girls cleaning up the blood on the table and the medical instruments, he said in a quieter tone, "Take me with you next time."

The office door creaked open with Neji peering in with a worried frown. It eased up when he saw Lee's patched up arm. "Temari is serving food in the lounge. I'll bring up your share, and Gaara's." He glanced at the redhead with resignation. As much as he disapproved of Gaara's point of view, his actions against Tenten, and his continued involvement with Hinata, he was Lee's friend and seemed to care for Lee's well-being at least. And there was that suspicious matter of intimacy between the two men. "The hotel has a wheelchair should you need help walking."

Gaara nodded at Neji in thanks, but left the matter of the wheelchair for Lee to decide. He glanced down at Lee's clothes and felt a sick feeling in his gut at the blood drenching the fabric.

"Thank you, but I can at least walk on my own. My legs are not injured after, all," Lee replied, turning his smile toward Neji. Leaning against Gaara's shoulder for balance, Lee slid off the desk to his feet. He tested his weight on his legs briefly, then nodded and gave a triumphant thumbs up on his good side.

Neji watched him skeptically, but nodded. "Okay. Take it easy. I'll bring food up to your room in a few minutes." He stepped back and held the door open.

Lee kept a hand on Gaara's shoulder, but kept his feet moving without complaint. Lee was worried that he would be peppered with questions from people he passed between the lobby and his room, but it seemed everyone was already in the lounge for dinner. He had to stop and catch his breath when they reached the stairs, and again half way up and at the top, but he didn't complain or lean on Gaara more than the hand on his shoulder.

"Maybe I will lay down, just until we need to change the bandages," he murmured as he pulled the key out of his pocket. His face was still pale and he was looking more haggard than ever. Several hairs of his bowl cut were lifted at odd angles, for once not in their immaculate state of shininess.

Gaara hadn't spoken on the way up, but he took the key from Lee's hand and opened the door for them, briefly noting what a waste of electricity it was to keep up the electronic locks in the rooms. He helped Lee inside and got him into bed, throwing the red and gold embellished comforter aside. "I'll need to cut your clothes off. You'll get blood on the covers." He said, filling a cup from the thermos on top of their dresser. He'd have to ask Moegi if they had vitamins in stock too. He had little knowledge about supplements, but was sure that Lee needed to take iron.

As he handed the cup to Lee and wiped his hands on the black chef apron he still wore around his hips, the hard look on his face crumbled with a deep breath. He pulled a chair next to the bed. "Where did you put the pocketknife?"

"Oh," Lee glanced down and reached into the pouch he always carried at his hip. He shuddered faintly as his hand brushed the handgun that had killed Tenten, as he grabbed the pocket knife. He hated carrying it with him now, but he knew he'd be in plenty of situations where he'd need it. He handed the pocket knife to Gaara and unbuckled his belt, pulling that off and tossing it aside with his pouch.

"Thank you," Lee said, sighing and rubbing his face, suddenly exhausted. He looked down at himself, covered in blood and dirty, tattered clothes, skin pale and muscles weak. He looked half as bad as his body felt. "I am sorry to make you help me so much. I should have been more careful, like you asked me to be. I do not know what I would do without you."

"...You'd have others to help you. Like Neji." Gaara replied, taking the pocketknife and beginning to cut off the rest of Lee's shirt and jacket sleeve. He was careful not to touch the wounded part of his arm as he tore off the sleeve and began ripping the seam at the shoulder. Lee had other clothes from the mall to wear later on.

Once he'd gotten half of the clothes ripped of Lee, he slipped the rest past the other man's body and threw the soiled fabrics on the floor. "Lie down." Against the backdrop of Lee's scarred body and his scruffy look, his arm made him look like he was returning from a long, bloody war. Frowning, Gaara reached up and smoothed down the strands sticking up from Lee's bowlcut. Somehow, his ruffled hair made his condition look worse and all the more real. "I'll need to take your pants off."

Lee laid his head on the pillow and sighed with some relief as he relaxed. He shivered, chilled without any clothes left on his upper body. He reached down and undid the button and zipper on his pants one handed. He wasn't self conscious about having Gaara help him undress. They'd been sleeping the same bed and rooming together for long enough that any hang ups he'd had about getting this close to another guy had long disappeared, and hadn't been very strong to begin with.

"Thank you," Lee repeated automatically. He shifted to lift his hips, so Gaara could slide his jeans off more easily. The waistline of his boxer briefs were just visible. "After that, can you help undo the bandages on my good arm? I do not think I will be needing them, and we can wash and reuse them for my injury."

Gaara nodded then helped Lee get his jeans off. His attraction for the other man had him pressing his lips tight as he pulled his pants down, tugging off Lee's shoes as well. He left his socks on as he pulled the comforter over his friend. The blood stain on his pants grounded him firmly and kept his mind from turning to other things as he covered Lee's body. Gaara never had to exercise bedside manners before, and the tight scowl on his face wouldn't have suited any nurse.

There was a knock on the door just as Gaara began unwrapping the bandages on Lee's good arm. Leaving Lee's side, he ushered in Neji carrying a large service tray with two helpings of soup and corned beef on rice. The two men exchanged glances as Neji entered the room and set the tray on top of the minibar counter.

"How are you feeling? Would you like to move to the first floor? I don't think you should go up and down the stairs while you're recovering." Neji said.

Lee was already half asleep when Neji came inside, but he blinked his eyes open now and struggled to sit up. He shook his head and smiled at his friend. "No, I am alright, thank you. My clothes and things are here, and the stairs are good exercise for me until I can really start my training again. I am sure I will feel fine again once my body pumps some new blood."

Lee reached across his body and put a hand over the wound on his arm, not gripping or applying pressure, but just feeling where it laid on his bicep. It hurt. But he knew there was nothing they could do about that really, so he continued to smile. "Thank you for getting me back here so quickly, Neji. I am sorry that your truck took damage when we hit some zombies on the way, but I think that I would not have been okay if I had lost anymore blood. I think you saved my life."

"I'm sorry you got shot. I shouldn't have allowed them to get so close." Neji's forehead was slightly wrinkled with the worry on his face. The normally reserved man sighed. "But I wanted to thank you for coming with me. We might have run into more trouble if you hadn't been there to help."

Gaara had been silent during their exchange, but he took his seat beside Lee's bed now with a bowl of soup in hand and one of the paper plates moved to the side table. He stared at Neji, making a point of holding up the soup bowl and a spoon.

Lee glanced at Gaara briefly, then turned back to Neji. "I am glad I could help. Once my arm has healed enough, I will work with you on making trips to the power plant safer from now on."

"Just focus on healing first." Neji instructed. His brows was still furrowed and his demeanor uneasy, but he turned to the door. "I will check on you again later, and bring you something more to eat. Try to rest." He stepped out the door and pulled it closed behind him.

Realizing that Gaara was still holding up a bowl and spoon, Lee reached sheepishly for his share. He set his soup on his lap and took his spoon next. "I wish Neji would not feel guilty," he said. "It is not his fault that this happened." Lee dipped his spoon in the bowl, but his hand was shaking enough to spill most of it when he tried bringing it to his mouth.

"His guilt will make him more cautious next time." Gaara replied, rubbing at his eyes when Lee took the bowl from him. When he saw Lee's hand shaking though, he placed a hand over it. "You're going to spill all of that." He said by way of explanation as he took the spoon again. Dipping it into the bowl, he brought the soup to Lee's mouth with his complete attention focused on the liquid. He hated seeing his friend this weak. If helping him eat would make him recover faster, then he was going to make sure Lee drank it until the last drop.

Lee hesitated, but one glance at Gaara's determined expression kept his mouth shut as he leaned forward and swallowed around the spoon. It was embarrassing to say the least, that he needed so much help. It would be absolutely humiliating if anyone else saw him like this, but Lee knew that Gaara wasn't going to judge. He wasn't like that.

"Things could have been much worse," Lee murmured, half to himself and half to Gaara. "He shot my left arm. If he had aimed just a few inches over, he would have hit my heart. And the bullet went clean through, so we did not have to dig it out, and it did not touch the bone." Lee accepted another bite, looking away as he swallowed. "I still have trouble believing that someone could shoot at us during a time like this. People should be banding together, not hurting each other."

Gaara brought up another spoonful and waited for Lee to look his way again. "A crisis can bring out the worst in people." Lee's close call made his stomach drop and he found his other hand gripping the edge of the comforter tightly. It was too late to distance himself from the other man. He hadn't wanted to feel this aching, hammering panic for anyone other than his family, but Lee had somehow wormed past his defenses and made him _care_ so much.

"Finish your food. You need to sleep." He said quietly, holding up the spoonful.

Lee did as he was told, accepting bite after bite until his soup was gone. He had a harder time with the corn-beef and rice however, and could only eat a couple bites before his stomach churned sickly in warning. Lee drank all the water that Gaara brought him, and laid back down on the bed with a tired sigh. His body felt drained from the top of his head to his toes.

Before Gaara could leave the bedside, Lee grabbed his wrist and turned his head on the pillow to look at the redhead. "Really Gaara, thank you for all this. Neji would have probably helped me, too, but to be honest I think I feel closer to you after all we have been through. I probably would not have let him feed me." Lee smirked tiredly at that, but continued. "I think you are my very best friend."

When Gaara found the presence of mind to breathe again, he swallowed and inhaled deeply. He was sure that Lee could feel his quickening pulse from his wrist, even when his face betrayed nothing. "...I'll be here when you wake up." He said, unable to think of a suitable response to that. 'Best friends' echoed hollow and false.

Leaning closer, he rubbed his knuckle against the side of Lee's mouth where he'd missed a bit of rice, before taking everything from the bed to soak in the bathroom sink. The eyes reflected on the bathroom mirror were wide and cornered.

* * *

In the hotel recreation room that Gaara and Lee often used for sparring, Hinata was working with Gaara on wielding her umbrella. He'd already taught her the basics, but she found that working with her friend as a guide helped her realized quicker when she was making mistakes.

Just when she felt like she was getting a stance correct, the doors to the room banged open sharply and Kiba stormed in, his expression severely agitated as he approached the two.

"Gaara! What are you doing to Hinata?" he demanded.

Looking up at Kiba's entrance, Gaara's good mood plummeted at the man's accusation. He hadn't cared before, but Kiba's continuous snide remarks and suspicious looks were starting to tire him out, especially when Lee's recovery was taking its toll on his mind and body. "I'm teaching her." He replied, stepping to the side.

Kiba's eyes narrowed when it seemed like Gaara had just stepped away from Hinata, or maybe he'd had his arms around her before he arrived. He hurried over to Hinata's side and took hold of her arm. "Why can't you fucking leave her alone? She's doing fine without learning how to be a murderer like _you_."

"Kiba, just STOP already!" Hinata cried, tugging her arm back. "G-Gaara isn't doing a-anything to me! W-Why are you s-so angry with him?"

"You don't need to learn from him. I can teach you anything you want, okay? We're supposed to stick together, aren't we?" Kiba's voice had risen even when his tone was pleading, looking at Hinata as if he was about to lose her. "He's the one who got Shino killed!"

Gaara had had enough. "I didn't see you protect him either." He snapped, jabbing the metal tip of his own umbrella on the ceramic floor. The marks around his eyes were darker from lack of sleep and stress, and the image lent him a frightening visage.

"Bastard," Kiba snarled, whirling around on Gaara and glaring hot enough to melt steel. "How fucking dare you, after all the shit you've put us through! You're nothing but a selfish ass and a murderer!" He tried to take Hinata's arm again and leaned toward the door. "Please Hinata, let's just get away from him."

"Kiba!" Hinata shoved Kiba's grip away, her expression hurt. Her eyes were welling up and her stutter was getting worse. "I c-can make m-my own decisions an-and I w-won't let you insult m-my friend l-like that!"

"Hinata, it's not just me. Neji doesn't want you around him either," Kiba pleaded, his expression desperate as he switched tactics. "He's just trying to split us up so that he can have you to himself. I'm not the bad guy here!"

"Y-You're acting like one!" Hinata shook her head fiercely and held the umbrella between them. This had gone on for too long! "I-I c-can't believe you're d-doing this. Y-You and N-Neji are b-being s-selfish. G-Gaara's just h-helping me, b-because y-you never b-believed in m-me." She backed away, hurt and frustration showing on her face. She hated how she stuttered during these moments, and it added to her disappointment over her friend. "I-I don't w-want to t-talk to you right now."

Turning to Gaara, she uttered a quick apology before hurrying out of the room with her face hot from anger and embarrassment.

"Hinata...! Hinata!" Kiba called after her, about to follow after the girl before Gaara stepped in his way.

"She said she didn't want to talk to you." Gaara's eyes were narrowed, his lips pulled down in a scowl.

"That's none of your goddamn business," Kiba snapped, his eyes narrow and his fingers curled into furious fists. He looked over Gaara's shoulder, but Hinata was already long gone. Something burned in his chest when he remembered the way she'd just been looking at him. He turned his anger on Gaara, the cause of this whole mess. "I've seen bastards like you every fucking day I've been with Hinata, and we've been together since we were kids! You're just like the rest of the assholes who only want her for her money or her body!"

Kiba shoved at Gaara's shoulder and snarled in his face. "She's too fucking good for you! If I find out that you've laid a single creepy little hand on her, you won't be the resident murderer anymore, _I_ will!"

Gaara's temper flared when Kiba shoved him, and he grabbed hold of the man's hand the way Lee would during their sparring matches, then pivoted to the side until he could snap an arm around Kiba's neck, choking the other man. " _Don't call me that_." He hissed, his green eyes mere slits. "Can't you stop and think for a moment that you're driving her away?"

The hold on Kiba's neck loosened when the other man kicked back at his knees, and he had to let go to avoid one of the man's blows. "I don't _like_ her that way!"

"Bullshit!" Kiba swung around, his face red as he swung a fist at Gaara's face, narrowly missing and just clipping his shoulder instead. He swung again, low at his stomach. "You're all over her! You just want in her pants, since you fucking killed Tenten and Hinata is the only other woman besides your sister that can fucking stand you!"

The blow hit against Gaara's sternum with surprising force, and the redhead gasped out in pain. Whatever anger had been on his face was now accompanied by a haunted, pained look. He rammed his knee against Kiba's thigh in retaliation. "Tenten was important to me." He ground out with a tight, low voice, his sides spasming as he tried to catch his breath back. He barely had a second to spare before he was blocking another of Kiba's blows, his teeth grit in restraint. "Hinata is too."

His eyes met Kiba's furious ones, the look on the redhead's face scrunching at his accusations. "If I could have saved Tenten, I would have done everything. You weren't there. She was already turning when I shot her."

Kiba saw the pain in Gaara's eyes and it made his blood boil more. The valve on all the pent up anger and tension that had been building around his jealousy over Hinata had broken off, and he didn't even want to hold himself back as it poured out through his fists. He kicked hard, bringing his knee up at any part of the redhead he could reach. He grabbed Gaara, digging his fingertips into the man's shoulder and swung at his face again, this time connecting with a satisfying thud against his cheekbone.

"You're a fucking cold hearted bastard! You treat your own friends like they're disposable, just like you did Shino! I won't let you hurt Hinata, too! You can't have her!"

Red took over Gaara's vision at the sharp pain exploding on his face and the disorientation he felt as he staggered back. His eyes grew shadowed, teeth bared as he braced himself then took a running start towards Kiba until he'd rammed his whole body against him, sending both men to the ground. All that sparring with Lee had brought up Gaara's confidence in fighting hand-to-hand, with the negative effect of encouraging dirty fighting when he couldn't beat Lee with regular moves.

"You...don't...know...me!" Each word was punctuated by a punch or an elbow jab at Kiba, until he grabbed both sides of Kiba's head and head butted him. He huffed, dizzy and aching as he spat out, "You can have Hinata! I just want to be with Lee!"

Kiba had his arms up, trying to ward off each of Gaara's blows and mostly failing. When he lowered his arms and looked up at Gaara with a stunned expression, his forehead was bloody above his eyebrow where Gaara had head butted him. His eyes were wide and his breath was painful and thin.

"What... the fuck? You're fucking gay?" Kiba shoved Gaara off of him, tossing him and rolling away quickly so he wouldn't get hit again. He laid on his stomach, still panting with his head ducked as his body ached like a huge, pulsing bruise. He turned his head and snarled at the other man. "Why the fuck didn't you say so before?!"

Body aching, Gaara allowed himself to be pushed off but went with the rolling fall as Lee had taught him. Pushing himself up on his elbows, he growled back at Kiba, "You never asked. Why would I tell you that when I didn't-" He pressed the heel of his palm against his forehead, shutting his eyes with a sharp inhale as his skull throbbed. "...I didn't want this. The dead are coming back to life and _I can't feel this way_." His voice had trailed off into a rushed whisper. There was a strange twist to his lips, and his hairless brows were knotted tightly.

Shooting the other man a glare, he got to his feet despite the ache in his stomach. "Stop interrupting me and Hinata. Your jealousy is just pushing her away." He said, struggling to keep his voice steady and deadpanned. "The best way to make sure she's safe is to teach her how to survive."

Kiba glared from beneath his bloody brow and pushed himself to his feet. "Don't tell me what to do," he snapped, but his voice wasn't as malicious as it had been before. He turned on his heel and started toward the door, limping from one of Gaara's blows on his leg. He glowered at the edge the room with a glance over his shoulder at Gaara, then left without another word.

With a snort, Gaara collected the discarded umbrella and leaned against it as he got his breath back. Only when he'd made his way to the door as well, did he realize he'd ended up giving Kiba the upperhand after all.


	9. Chapter 9

The ugly bruise on Gaara’s cheek looked worse than it felt. Gaara stared at his reflection in the bedroom mirror and poked at it, morbidly fascinated by the little sparks of pain whenever he pressed on the green flesh. It had been livid purple the day he and Kiba fought, but the days had lightened up the marks on his face and body. His brows furrowed slightly, as if analyzing a particular observation before he turned to his friend.

“Moegi said she’ll remove your stitches after another week. But that if you keep trying to workout when I’m not around, she’ll leave them on for a month.” He said, pulling his chair closer to the bed.

Lee was sitting on the bed dutifully on his pillow and fresh bandages in front of him. It was time to change the ones he had on now. He frowned seriously at Gaara and pleaded. “But if I do not exercise, I will not be able to keep up with everyone else by the time I am done healing!”

Lee had just been caught running laps in the stairwell again, while carrying a heavy book in his good hand to improve his grip, and something lighter in the other so that his bad side wouldn’t be completely weak. He’d gotten chewed out as usual, and dragged back to the room. Lee had hoped that the argument could turn into a productive sparring match, but Gaara had learned a few dirty tricks recently that overpowered Lee while he was still on the mend.

Taking hold of Lee’s arm, Gaara began to unwind the bandages, shaking his head once at Lee. “You can exercise when the stitches are gone. Slowly.” He emphasized, quickly working on getting the soiled gauze off Lee’s arm. They were lucky to have running water at the hotel. Any soiled garments could easily be washed with a bit of detergent, and in some cases, hotel soap. Looking down at the stitches as they were uncovered, he was relieved to find the skin looking a healthy pink with smudges of Betadine around the stitches. Every time he changed Lee’s bandages, there was a fear that the wound would become infected-- and not just with the zombie virus. 

“Your arm looks better.” He said, wiping at the area gently with a wet cloth.

“Thank you. Your bruises look like they are healing, too.” Lee leaned a little closer, mindful not to bother Gaara’s hands while he undid the bandages. He tilted his head and examined the dark color across Gaara’s cheekbone. “I am glad the swelling went down. You looked like a puffer fish on one side for a while.”

Lee still didn’t know what exactly had gone down between Gaara and Kiba. The only thing Gaara had given in explanation was that he and Kiba had finally duked it out over Hinata, and nothing else. When Lee had noticed that Kiba wasn’t nearly as tense and unfriendly around Gaara anymore, he’d stopped peppering his friend with questions and had let the topic drop for the most part.

Gaara’s mouth pulled into a small scowl at the reminder. His face had swelled quite a bit earlier on. “Kiba looked worse.” He said, inspecting the stitches before dabbing Betadine over it. Eyes sliding up, his body tensed slightly when he saw how close Lee’s face was and the attention he was getting from the other man, but he didn’t say anything about it as he began wrapping Lee’s arm up again. 

“...Temari said we can start bringing people from the mall here once the worst of the winter passes. Suna doesn’t get snow, but the nights are just as cold. The worst that can happen is if we have a sandstorm.” He said, carefully winding the first inches of gauze around Lee’s forearm.

“I look forward to that,” Lee said, grinning. He turned his attention down at Gaara’s work, admiring his skill. He’d gotten pretty good at helping Lee with his injury, from changing bandages and medicine to helping him with daily chores that others wouldn’t think of. Even just using the room key could be difficult with just one hand, until Lee had started using his left side again for little things. “I have been thinking of going back to pay everyone a visit. I would like to see how Sakura is doing. She might want to evaluate Moegi’s work on my arm, and I found a soda that I can bring back to her.”

Gaara was watching his own work meticulously with no change in his expression, but he’d wrapped a part of Lee’s arm too tightly, the fabric stretching taut, and had to do that part again. “...I see.” He said, finally reaching Lee’s wrist and winding the cloth in smaller loops around his palm and fingers.

Lee winced at the tight section of bandaging, but his grin returned immediately as Gaara fixed it. “I am sure everyone at the mall would love the hotel. They would fit in well, and Temari will have more manpower to push around.” Lee chuckled. He looked down at his palm as Gaara reached the end of the bandages, his expression slowly sliding into something more thoughtful. “And I would like to visit Tenten’s grave. It would be nice to pay respect and tell her about how everything has changed.”

Tying the knot firmly behind Lee’s hand, Gaara sat back and stared at the ornate bed covers in silence. They’d been at the hotel long enough that he’d forgotten how infatuated the other man was with Sakura. As for Tenten...he could never forget what he’d done to her. Every time he looked at Lee, there was always a tiny part of him that reminded him of it. He got up from the chair and headed for his pack, busying himself with taking everything out and reorganizing the contents. “Do you think Sakura would be happy to see you?” He asked.

“Maybe,” Lee said, swinging his legs off the side of the bed and stretching carefully. “It was always hard to tell if she really enjoyed being around me or not. I tried my best, but in the end I cannot say that she was very interested in being my special person.”

Lee rubbed his chin thoughtfully, feeling a hint of stubble coming in. His brows pulled together. “To be honest, I have been thinking about what you said, especially since I got hurt. The thing about how we should not be looking for love during the outbreak. I think you may be right.”

Gaara licked the back of his teeth. He didn’t want to have this conversation. When he’d said that, the only thing he’d wanted to find was a cure or perhaps like-minded people whom he could work with to keep each other safe. And now, hearing that Lee might be giving up on Sakura because of his words made it worse than for him to continue pursuing her. “Then you’re giving up on her.” He carefully laid out the survival kit he’d crafted over the months, noting each one down to keep his mind detached from the conversation. “She shouldn’t have led you on all those months. Everyone could see how much effort you put while she just took without giving back.”

“No, it was not like that,” Lee protested. He frowned and dropped his hands onto his lap. He thought back to all the comments Sai had made, the looks he would get from Ino and the others, the way Gaara didn’t seem to like Sakura... “Well, it did not feel that way to me at least.” 

Lee sighed. “I still care about Sakura of course, if maybe not in exactly the same way. But getting hurt made me realize that helping each other survive right now is the most important thing. It would not be right for me to focus on only one person when there are so many I should be protecting.” Lee’s hand slid up his healing arm, tracing the bandages that Gaara had tied for him. “I want to protect you more than anyone else right now, but I also need to stay focused for Neji and the teams that risk their lives every day.”

Of all the people Gaara had ever felt affection for, Lee was by far the hardest to come to terms with. It was even harder when Lee just thought of him as his best friend. Hearing that the other man wanted to protect him only brought a streak of loneliness that gripped him tight until he abandoned what he was doing and stood up. “You don’t need to protect me.” He said, still not facing the other man. “I’ve been killing and fighting when you and everyone else couldn’t. Wouldn’t.”

He finally turned sideways, his eyes lidded and a tenseness along his shoulders. “I was wrong about what I said. You can afford a relationship, because you can still see the good in people. That option isn’t open to me. All I can see is a future of blood and broken bodies.”

He breathed out, almost sounding like he was laughing with his breath. “...Didn’t I tell you to keep believing while I’ll take care of the rest?”

Lee’s expression turned from reserved and thoughtful to concerned in seconds. He stood from the bed and stepped closer to Gaara, putting a hand on his shoulder and trying to decipher his expression. “Gaara, you do not only fight and kill. You do not need to sound like that. You are the one who has been taking care of me and even fed me when my hands shook too hard from blood loss. And you cannot only see blood in the future! You are the one who always sees our options and possibilities! You lead us here when we were trapped in the cold mall!”

Lee smiled at his friend in what he hoped was a reassuring way. His round eyes were hopeful. “I am sure you can still find a relationship. You just need to find the right person, and be patient.”

Gaara took hold of Lee's hand, about to shrug it off but ending up holding on instead. He looked into Lee's eyes, wondering what his friend saw in his own when Gaara did his best to keep his emotions in check. The hope in his eyes brought an uneasy twist in his gut at how much Lee didn't know, even when he claimed they were friends.  "You don’t understand, Lee." He said, "I already found someone and he doesn't feel the same. There's too much at stake to even pursue it."

Lee’s eyes widened. “You found someone that you want to be your special person?” Lee’s grin grew and he squeezed Gaara’s shoulder tighter in excitement. “Are you sure that he does not feel the same? Have you asked? How can anything be too risky at a time like this? You should be pursuing your feelings with everything you have!” Lee didn’t understand why Gaara hadn’t brought this up before, close as they were. He didn’t understand why Gaara looked so lost right now either. He should be happy! “Why do you not try?”

Contrary to Lee's intentions, Gaara just shook his head tiredly. Not even Lee's strange terms cracked a smile this time. His brows were knotted in thought, the continuous denial he'd had over his attraction and the subsequent hiding of the truth wearing him out. Ironically, he and Kiba were on the same boat. The people they liked just thought of them as 'friends'.

Steeling himself, Gaara exhaled and gripped Lee's hand tight. It was time to set things straight. "There's no point. He wanted to be with someone else, and isn't even attracted to men." He turned his whole body to face Lee before saying in a calm, quiet voice, "And he's dense enough not to realize I'm looking right at him."

Lee looked thoroughly confused for a full four seconds before understanding finally dawned across his face. His round eyes became rounder, and brilliant grin became limp as his brows furrowed. “...oh,” he said softly, paralyzed and unsure of how to react.

In the back of his mind, Lee had been aware of Gaara’s orientation. It was there, but it usually didn’t seem relevant to his relationship with the man. Gaara had said that it was foolish to search for love during the outbreak, and had never shown an active interest in _anyone_. At least, Lee hadn’t thought he had. He had just thought they were good friends, that they were comfortable enough with each other to touch without thinking about it and talk without being self conscious. Now however, he kept thinking back to all the times Gaara had opened up to him when he wouldn’t anyone else, the concern that Temari had shown over their sleeping in the same bed, the way Gaara seemed to be able to read Lee like an open book with bold letters.

“This... this whole time?” Lee asked, his voice soft and confused.

Gaara had already anticipated the worst, and backed away while the other man stood there with a confused look on his face. Whatever vulnerable expression had been on his face vanished as if he hadn't revealed anything at all. "...I don't know. It wasn't something I chose or planned. You were just always there." He crossed his arms tight over his chest, guarded and wishing he didn't feel like this.

Lee's eyes easily reflected his thoughts and Gaara turned away after a quiet sigh. "It doesn't matter. I'll move in with Temari tonight."

“You do not... you do not have to do that,” Lee said. He realized abruptly that his hand was still on Gaara’s shoulder and let go. Then he wished he was still touching Gaara, because it was so much easier to understand what he was feeling that way. Lee pursed his lips, and reached across his chest to grip the bandages on his healing arm in habit. He knew that this moment should be crucial for important reasons, but he was still having trouble reacting. In a corner of his mind, he was wondering what Tenten would say about this. “Maybe... maybe just for tonight we can think about this. Then we can talk again tomorrow? We can eat breakfast together.”

A part of Gaara thought that if Sakura had been the one to confess, Lee would have been overjoyed. He silenced it and simply nodded, turning his back to Lee and heading back to fix his pack. In their situation, they didn't have the luxury of worrying and analyzing everything. Gaara would just accept whatever Lee would say about this revelation, and hope he hadn't lost his friendship over it.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Lee sat up in bed and rubbed his faced with a wide yawn. He was starting to form bags under his eyes, and his arm ached worse than usual. He slipped his sling on to keep his arm out of the way and unjostled, and made his way to the bathroom on heavy feet.

Lee hadn’t been able to sleep much last night. His mind was running in circles, chasing after the idea that Gaara cared about him as something more than friends. It was mind boggling to consider, but at the same time he couldn’t help admiring where Gaara was coming from. How must Gaara have felt all this time, caring about Lee without being able to say so? He hadn’t planned on finding love during the outbreak, or even focusing on anything but survival if he could help it, but he’d still managed to form a close relationship with Lee and open up to him. Gaara hadn’t been expecting this, either. And if his feelings were true, like the springtime flowering of love in the middle of a barren desert of survival... Lee’s heart skipped a beat at the thought.

Lee wiped his face with a washcloth and glanced at himself in the dim mirror. But in the end, what did he want? Gaara was his friend, and he didn’t want to lose that. Lee didn’t consider himself gay, either. Sighing and trying to formulate a plan, Lee slipped on his shoes by the door and made his way downstairs.

Breakfast had a way of bringing together even the most unusual of people, and the lounge had groups and pairs comprised of Baki and Kiba trading hiking stories in one side; Matsuri, Temari and Neji chatting in another; even Sasori and Shikamaru tense and poised over a chess board between them. And sitting with Hinata in one of the sofas was Gaara, who looked like he hadn’t gotten any sleep at all.

The redhead looked up when Lee entered the room, silently taking note that Lee hadn’t been the first to get up today. He spoke quietly to Hinata, who nodded and left the sofa with her finished plate to sit where Temari’s group was. Kiba’s head turned to follow her, a forlorn look crossing his face.

Gaara’s eyes were narrowed as he nursed his rationed water. Under the bright sunlight streaming in from the windows, it felt like nothing happened yesterday- no confession. His friend hadn’t brought up their conversation the rest of the day, and Gaara had done the same. But...last night had been awkward and uncomfortable by the time they got into bed. He’d expected the loss of that easy companionship between them now that Lee knew what he felt, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. He’d left in the middle of the night to visit Temari.

Lee sat down on the couch next to Gaara, readjusting his sling as he tried to get comfortable. He turned and smiled at his friend, though inside his nerves were churning with some new, awkward emotion he couldn’t quite identify. Gaara wasn’t acting any differently than usual, and it didn’t feel any different to be sitting next to him, having breakfast together. In entire honesty, Gaara’s confession made Lee confused and unsure of himself when he tried to think it through, but actually spending time with him didn’t feel out of the ordinary. This was still Gaara, even if Lee knew the truth about his feelings now. It wasn’t until his mind ran wild with the implications that he felt uneasy.

“Good morning,” Lee greeted simply, still smiling. “How did you sleep last night?”

“I couldn’t sleep.” Gaara lifted his eyes from the cup to meet Lee’s gaze. Pleasantries hadn’t been Gaara’s strong point to begin with, and what they were about to discuss made him apprehensive. A quick glance around them assured him that they were seated far enough for anyone to hear. He might not care what people thought, but he didn’t want anyone barging in on them. Turning back to the other man, he set his cup down and crossed his arms as he leaned back against the couch. “You wanted to talk.

“Well, yes,” Lee sighed and almost rolled his eyes, used to Gaara’s blunt inability to be social. He noticed how tense his friend was however, and how dark the rings around his eyes had gotten with stress, so Lee didn’t mention it this time. Lee was silent for a couple seconds, before nodding to himself and deciding to just say what was on his mind.

“To be honest, I cannot come up with a straightforward reply to what you told me,” Lee started. His smile was still there as he spoke, but it was far more awkward now, and mixed in with the confusion that had shown up last night. His bushy eyebrows were quivering as with his thoughts. “I care about you a lot, Gaara. More than I have ever cared about another man, except maybe my uncle, but that is a different type of caring. More than anything, I do not want to lose the youthful relationship we already have! Spending time with you is closer to springtime than I ever thought I would find after the outbreak hit! But last night I could not sleep very well either while I was thinking about everything, and my mind kept running in circles about Tenten. I wish she were still here.

“I guess...” Lee trailed off, realizing that speaking without a train of thought had really lead nowhere. He crossed his free hand over his cast as he tried to backtrack and reorganize. “What exactly- I mean- what do you want to happen now? Between us?”

Lee's voice was stark against the muted sounds of the room. The other man had a tendency to ramble when Gaara thought a simple "I don't know what to say," would have suited the redhead just fine. He could have brushed off what happened and moved on to other things, and forget about what he felt. The fact that Lee had to point out that he _did_ care about him, albeit in a different way, got past his defenses better than if he'd just rejected him outright. By the time Tenten’s name was brought into the conversation, Gaara's eyes were lidded and the beginnings of a scowl tugged on his mouth.

“I told you it doesn’t matter. You don’t like men in the first place. And I can never erase what I did to your best friend.” There was intensity in his gaze as he lifted his chin up and regarded Lee, his voice husky with unspoken things. “What I want is to be with you,” he said bluntly, “We don’t see things the same way, your physical features are striking at best, and there are times when I think you’re being weak.”

He snorted, brows knotting at what he was saying. “You make me see things differently, and you refuse to compromise your morals, even when it would be the easier path. I don’t know what attracts me to you, when you’re so impulsive and hardheaded.” The scowl on Gaara’s face darkened at the thought, as if finally airing out what he wanted sounded absurd even for him.

Maybe it was his frayed nerves, or the lack of real sleep last night, or even the growing tension that seemed to be accumulating between them now that made Lee snicker. No matter the cause, he couldn’t help it. The look on Gaara’s face was priceless as well, a total contrast to the feelings he’d finally exposed, as if he were completely boggled. It almost reminded Lee of when they played monopoly. Gaara had scowled then as well, just like this, frustrated as he struggled to learn the rules of the game and make due with the rolls he was dealt.

“That list does not exactly sound like a romantic poem of love.” Lee covered his face with his good hand to hide his smirk, his stomach churning and fluttering with nerves as he processed what Gaara was telling him. In the back of his mind he knew that he should have taken what Gaara told him at this crucial moment with quiet and serious consideration, but Lee could only do that for so long before he fell back into the habit of talking openly with his friend. He peeked between his fingers at the other man. “You almost sound like you are trying to talk yourself out of feeling like this.”

The knot between Gaara’s brows eased up slightly when Lee began to snicker at him. He could understand the humor Lee found in it, and felt his ears grow warm when he glimpsed his smirk between his fingers. “I am not writing you a haiku.” He warned, taking a sip of his cup to wet his dry mouth. This hadn’t been the conversation he’d expected to have with Lee, but then again, the other man always surprised him and defied any initial impressions Gaara had of him.

“It would be better if I could do that.” He said after a pause. “You’re my friend too, Lee. If you think we’ll lose our friendship over this, just tell me that you don’t feel the same way.”

Lee’s smirk dwindled back down again and he looked down at his lap, dropping his hand. At least Gaara still had a sense of humor, even if it was dry. But when the bottom line was drawn, Lee needed to answer this question. It wasn’t fair to draw this out because he was confused.

“I am sorry, Gaara. I do not think I feel the same way.” Lee glanced up at his friend’s face, wondering what was going through his head. “I want us to stay friends.”

Gaara met Lee's gaze evenly as the man confirmed what he already knew. The scowl on his face disappeared, replaced with a small morose twitch of his lips. "That's what I thought." He glanced away, leaning back against the sofa and taking a deep breath. This was the trouble with emotions. As much as he thought he could brush them off or prepare himself for them, logic couldn't erase the dull ache in his chest over Lee's answer.

He pushed himself off his seat and gathered his discarded utensils and plate. The indifference usually present on his face was missing now, and all that was left was a far-off look in his eyes and tightly pressed lips. "...I'm going."

“Okay,” Lee murmured, watching Gaara closely with regret churning heavy in his chest. It was difficult to breathe. If Gaara seemed upset about something or something had been left unfinished between them, Lee would usually wrap an arm around Gaara’s shoulders or follow him around until they’d worked it out, but right now he couldn’t make himself stand up. “I will stay here for a little while. I have not eaten yet.”

Gaara nodded once and glanced back at Lee. His lips parted, like he was about to say something, but all that came out was a soft breath before he headed for the entrance of the lounge.


	10. Chapter 10

Something was causing the thin strands that passed off as normalcy these past few days to vibrate, and the eldest Sabaku found herself stalking the halls of the Crimson Sand in search of it a few hours after lunch. Temari’s brow was furrowed, and was starting to show faint wrinkle lines from the stress of leading this group of survivors, as she reached the second floor stairwell and walked down the carpeted hallway.

Sasori and Zetsu, her primary suspects for anything that went wrong, were keeping nice and quiet in the rooftop garden that Zetsu somehow kept alive. The insufferable Shikamaru was off watching clouds again and keeping an eye on Sasori and Zetsu for her, and oh yes, they were overdue for a checkers rematch after he’d pulled that bullshit capture move when she’d been sure he had no moves left. The romcom sitcom, as Temari had dubbed the exasperating triangle that was Neji, Hinata and Kiba, were for once keeping the peace as they went about the daily chores they were assigned to do. Moegi and Udon were playing a game with Sari and Matsuri, whom Temari had long been worrying over since Sari was too eager to bash a zombie’s head in, while Matsuri would probably get herself hurt no matter where she was assigned. It was better now that Lee and Gaara had taken to training them in basic combat, and gave the girls a way to vent their pent up energy. And speaking of which, she hadn’t seen hide nor hair of her little brother since this morning.

Stopping outside of Lee’s bedroom (and previously Gaara’s, but she would prefer not to think of the two of them _cuddlingnexttoeachotheratnight_ \- oh damn), and rapped sharply on the door.    

There was a short pause before Lee answered. When he opened the door, he looked tired and haggard, with dark circles under his eyes and with body language that made it seem that his arm was hurting, though it was healing well lately. His eyes were characteristically round as usual, but also seemed hazy somehow. He blinked at Temari in surprise.

“Hello, Temari. How are you doing today?” he greeted politely. He cleared his throat, since it sounded a little rough.

“Fine.” Temari took in Lee’s appearance with concern before shifting her weight on her back foot, her arms crossed as she took a familiar stance.

Two nights ago, Gaara had come to her room silently, curling up on the sofa of her suite the way he used to sneak into her room at night as a child. He didn’t have to say anything for her to know something had happened. Despite her pestering, Gaara refused to say anything about the matter and talked instead about doing a run back to their company building and their apartment.  

However, she knew Gaara still took care of the Lee while his arm healed, and that they stayed close to each other in case the other man needed help. Which made it all the more strange to see his haggard appearance now. “Is Gaara in there with you? I’ve been looking for him since noon.”

“Oh, I have not seen him today.” Lee didn’t like the anxious look that Temari had. She seemed agitated, like something was wrong or out of place. Lee stood a little taller, concerned. “You do not know where he is? Is something wrong?”

“No, I thought he’d be with you.” Temari frowned as her breath grew noticeably faster, the blonde woman peering over Lee’s shoulder just to make sure before pressing a hand to her temple. She had a sinking feeling in her gut at finding no sign of Gaara or his weapons anywhere in the hotel. “He told me this morning he’d be planning a run back to our old apartment and our company building”

The suspicious frown on her face pulling tight in a line. Temari’s big sister senses were starting to rise from a faint tingle into a blaring alarm. Gaara was normally so cautious and wouldn’t get into anything without planning ahead, but he was also fiercely single-minded about what he thought had to be done. Even if he had to do it alone.

She should have known something was up when Gaara began asking her about how and where exactly Kankuro had died in their building. Snapping her gaze back onto Lee, she said brusquely, “I need to talk to the scouting teams. If he didn’t check out with any of them, he must have gone out on his own.”

“What are you talking about?” Lee’s eyes widened and he stepped forward, feeling his chest constrict at the look in Temari’s eyes. This wasn’t right. Gaara knew better than to just disappear without telling anyone, and especially without telling Lee or his sister. Lee put a hand on her and shook his head. “He would not do that on his own, right? He knows better than to run off by himself!”

Even as Lee spoke however, he was slipping on his shoes and ran back into the room to grab his jacket, a new one to replace the jacket that had been cut off his body when he’d been injured. He tossed his sling onto the bed and shrugged both arms through his layers.

“Not if he thought others would just slow him down. Damnit Gaara, I told you not to do anything stupid!” Temari. hissed under her breath. The eldest Sabaku was ready to rush down the hall to check with Sasori, but she glanced at Lee sharply when she saw him start to get dressed. “What do you think you’re doing? You’re not going out there with your arm like that.” 

“My arm is fine.” Lee stepped around Temari, leaving his door wide open and moving down the hall in front of her. He waved it above his head to illustrate. “It is almost completely healed. Moegi was about to take out my stitches. It does not even hurt anymore.”

It was true. As soon as he’d processed where Gaara had gone- by _himself_ , no less- the ache in his bicep had all but disappeared in place of a rush of worry and panic. He had to go find Gaara now! “I am going to go after Gaara. I know where the apartment building is, and he needs someone to watch his back.”

Temari didn’t have time to argue with Lee on that, but she hurried to catch up with him until they were running down the stairs together. “You won’t survive on your own. If you insist on putting your life on the line, take Baki with you. He knows where our company is and what floor Kankuro died on. Gaara would head there first.” She said briskly as the panic in her eyes settled into cold focus. Her mind reeled quickly. The scouting teams wouldn’t be back until later, and if her hunch about Gaara was right, he’d have left just a little after breakfast. There was still time to find him with a smaller group.  “You might be able to stop Gaara if you catch up with him. Take whatever weapons you can carry. I’ll have Baki bring first aid just in case.”

Whatever had gone on in her little brother’s mind, Temari had every intention of getting Gaara back and chewing the stubbornness out of him.

“Thank you, that is a good idea. We will leave as soon as Baki is ready.” Lee’s heart was thumping anxiously and his mind was running even faster than his feet. Was this happening because he had rejected Gaara? He had seen the look in the redhead’s face before he left that morning two days ago. It had obviously bothered him, even if he didn’t want Lee to think it had. Gaara knew better than to do something as dangerous and impulsive as this.

“I still need to check with the scouting teams, but Baki will be at the front door in five minutes.” Temari promised before veering off from Lee’s path to find the man.

* * *

In one of the sidestreets leading to Kazekage Industries, Gaara bit his tongue for the second time since he’d left the hotel. Temari must already be planning what she’d do to him once he returned. It was too late to go back though. He’d already reached the site of his old company building.

Wrinkling his nose in disgruntlement, he stood up from his crouch behind a wall and tried the emergency exit he’d escaped through all those months ago. The stink of rotting flesh was everywhere, with many of the zombies he’d killed on the way out still lying where he’d smashed them. There were others zombies he’d had to fight along the way, stragglers who must have drifted from other parts of the district. The sight of the bodies was a firm reminder of what he was here for.

The exit door was locked tight. Killing the remaining walkers roaming close to the building, he made his way to the front instead, letting his thoughts depart from Temari and the fact that he’d left without telling her, and the continuous echo of Lee’s rejection that refused to leave his mind. Gaara willed away the weightless feeling in his stomach with a heavy breath. This was not the time to think about other things. His brother was waiting for him in the upper floors.

Lips pressing tight, he tapped the bloody head of his club on the ground to get the specks of flesh off of it, before pulling open the battered doors of the building.

Gaara’s face grew slack, and a dull ringing sounded in his ears as he beheld the crowd of moving, groaning bodies that filled the lobby. All of them familiar husks of people he’d known. Lifting the shaft of his club, his mouth set in a grim line as he stepped inside and got to work.

* * *

Lee winced as he glanced over the edge of a low rooftop across the street from Gaara’s office building. There were quite a few zombies in the street, but the number of dead ones with destroyed heads was a strong indicator that Gaara had been here. The sun was peeking out from behind the tall building, touching Lee’s face before he pulled back and hid again.

“Where did you and Temari escape from?” Lee asked Baki, reaching for his spiked bat as he got ready to continue on.

“We ran from one of the emergency exits,” he replied, frowning and looking up at the wall of dirty or broken windows on the front of the building. The memory of the bustling corporate environment seemed like a dream now. “I am not sure that we can still access it. I think we could get in easiest if we took the back entrance, since there would be less zombies there, and we would have faster access to the stairs. If the emergency exit is still open, we’ll take that on the way instead.”

“Okay,” Lee said simply, nodding and turning to make his way across the roof at a crouch. Baki followed closely, his eyes darting about when they made their way down the fire escape as quickly and quietly as possible.

Only a few minutes later, the two followed a trail of a handful of dead bodies with crushed skulls to an open door on the side of the building. They shared a knowing, concerned look before going inside. Gaara had been here, there was no doubt.

* * *

It was a purging of the most brutal kind. The cool metal of Gaara’s clubs singing in the air before hitting a pound of decaying meat. Gaara was seeing things through a veil of the past, when he’d first witnessed a man grow sick and die, only to twitch and jerk back into a life of hunger for the living. Blood was splattered on his padded coat, hands, and hair, some of it trickling down the side of his face until he almost resembled the zombies he was killing. The smell of the black infested liquid was everywhere, and Gaara had to stop and hold back the urge to retch like he’d had on floor 7, and on floor 16.

Green eyes dilated and feverish, Gaara pushed open the door to floor 20, Operations, team composed of 40 people, team leader: Kankuro, number of people under surveillance: 4, turnover rate at 10% every two to three years to weed out threats to the company.

One of the women who worked directly under Kankuro stretched out her arm to reach for his foot as he passed, letting out a tiny, hoarse groan before he brought his club down on her head.

Temari had said that they’d taken the elevator from her floor, found Kankuro, and tried escaping together only for their brother to die. Gaara’s gaze swept across the maze of cubicles and shattered desks until he found the doors to the elevator on the other side. Armed and panting, he began to clear a bloody path of bodies to tie up one last loose end.

* * *

 

Lee and Baki ran up the stairs, leaping over bodies. Lee shuddered and pulled the edge of his shirt over his nose with a gagging sound as they passed by an open door to floor 18 and the stench of dead flesh wafted out. It was in the entire building, sick and disgusting, like the walls had been painted in decaying limbs. Blood dripped down the stairs at a steady, thick trickle that Lee almost slipped in, and he realized that it was coming from the next floor up. He grabbed the stairway railing and hauled himself up faster, with a new zest as he thought about Gaara at the top.

When Lee finally reached floor 20, he felt the hair stand up on the back of his neck with dread and unease. He paused outside the doorway, wondering why there was no sounds coming from inside. The telltale moan of the undead was completely absent, and if Gaara was inside he wasn’t making a sound either. The groaning and unnatural dragging of limbs was a noise that was almost constant in the world outside the hotel. It almost seemed wrong not to be able to hear it, even for a moment.

Lee jolted as he felt Baki’s hand on his shoulder, urging him forward. He nodded at the man quietly and stepped inside, lowering his shirt from his face to call out. “Gaara? Are you here?” He stepped over a few freshly killed bodies and his stomach churned at the sheer amount of bloodsplatter across cubicle walls and computer screens.

There was no answer to Lee's calls. Broken faces looked up at him from every corner, jaws open in a silent scream with their bodies torn apart, whether by Gaara or by the zombies that had lingered on the floor with nowhere to go. Evidence of Gaara's handiwork littered the floor, and at the end of the trail of bodies was the biggest office cubicle near the elevator, where Gaara’s club lay amongst half a dozen corpses.

And then there was Gaara, head bowed against his chest with his body leaning against the cubicle wall, blood even darker than his hair all over his clothes and splayed limbs. At his feet was a corpse that could have been Gaara’s twin if his hair had been red instead of brown, and if he’d still had the other half of his eaten body.

“G-Gaara?” Lee repeated, fear and panic caught in his throat as he froze. It felt like ice had suddenly flooded his veins as his horrified eyes darted across Gaara’s body, trying to find the place he’d been bitten. It was impossible to tell, there was too much blood all over him! Lee’s hands began to shake and the club in his hand fell to the bloody floor. The complete silence in the room suddenly felt a hundred times louder, roaring in his ears like an earthquake.

Was Gaara dead? Lee’s voice shook. “P-please say something, Gaara?”

Baki was there behind Lee, lowering his head at the sight of the two Sabaku children he'd been in charge of nearly all his life. He placed a hand on Lee's shoulder before kneeling down to inspect Kankuro. Before his hand could even touch the dead man's body, Gaara's hand shot out and gripped Baki's wrist in a tight clamp.

Lifting his head up, Gaara's green eyes burned amidst the tear tracks down his cheeks and the blood that ran down his sickly-looking face. His lips pulled up into a snarl. "Don't touch him."

He pushed Baki's hand away and pulled his knees to his chest, tremors wracking his body and a shudder hitching his breath whenever he exhaled. Lee's presence hovered in his awareness, forcing him to pay attention to his ragged breathing, the smell of blood and rot in the air, the ache in his arms and the exhaustion and tears and pain and Kankuro's devoured body reaching out for him-- almost like he was waking up from a nightmare.

“Oh, thank god,” Lee was there an instant later, arms wrapped around Gaara’s hunched shoulders. Manly tears poured down his cheeks in relief, and he distantly realized he was shaking. His voice caught as he ran his hands over Gaara’s body, not even caring that he was getting blood all over himself. It didn’t matter, because under the blood and carnage he could feel that Gaara was still warm and breathing and alive. Lee brushed Gaara’s hair back and rubbed the tears and blood from his cheeks, clutching at his back and shoulders.

“You scared me,” Lee murmured, voice shaking still. “You scared me so badly. I thought you were dead.”

The tear tracks on Gaara’s cheeks remained wet, trickles replacing what Lee had brushed away. Kankuro’s remaining eye stared up at him like an accusation for leaving him behind when Gaara could have found a way to help his siblings instead. The redhead sobbed soundlessly and gripped the back of Lee's jacket, unwinding from his position to find comfort in his friend. Lee's chest was warm and solid, simultaneously waking the nerves in his skin until he shivered from the cold again. He was getting blood and guts all over the other man, but Lee didn't even seem to care.

"I can take care of myself." Gaara said softly against Lee's shoulder, his voice sounding unnaturally emotional and traumatized. "I didn't want anyone else to put Kankuro to rest. I didn't want anyone to see this. He’s my brother, and it was my job to protect him. I had to come here. I had to find him. I _had_ to."

Lee held his friend tighter, nodding with his eyes squeezed shut. Tears were still leaking from the corner of his eyes, but they were slowing down now compared to Gaara’s. Lee took a deep, shaky breath. Then another. “I know,” he murmured, touching Gaara’s head and tucking it tighter against his shoulder. “I know. You are right. You did the right thing. I am so sorry, Gaara.”

Lee tilted his head and glanced at the body on the floor in front of them, then looked away quickly again out of respect when he realized how decomposed and ruined it had become over time. “Was this your brother? Kankuro?” he asked softly.

Gaara’s head shifted in a nod, dimly aware that Baki was closing Kankuro’s eye with two fingers, finally giving the elder Sabaku brother a peaceful if shattered appearance. Gaara could smell the sweat on Lee’s neck, masking some of the putrid smell in the room while a part of him wondered how the two had managed to catch up with him so fast. “...Why are you here?” He asked, his voice choking slightly as his body continued to tremble. “Did Temari send you?”

“No,” Lee finally pulled back just enough to see Gaara’s face, but kept his arms around the other man. It made his chest squeeze tight as he felt the trembles in Gaara’s body under his hands. It wasn’t right. Gaara was always so contained and strong, it felt wrong to see him so hurt. Lee wiped away the tears on his cheeks again in vain. Lee’s eyes were earnest, and his thick brows were pulled together as he spoke. “She told me where you would be, but that is not why I came. I am so sorry about what I said before. It was not the truth when I said that I just wanted to be your friend.”

Lee’s breath shuddered briefly, and his stomach churned with what he was about to say. “I want to be with you, more than anything else. I love you, Gaara. I just want to be with you in any way that you need me, and I want to be here for you. If you need me to be your boyfriend, that can only be more amazing than being your friend. I love you, and I may not know exactly what kind of love it is yet, but it is just so strong that I cannot let go of you. Will you forgive me for what I said?” Lee cupped Gaara’s cheek and leaned closer, still trying to brush away the tears while his eyes burned dark.

The confession had Gaara jerking back, staring at Lee with wide eyes and heavily knotted brows. After everything that he’d gone through today, this felt like a slap in the face. Kankuro had been his purpose for coming here, but coming alone had been his choice after Lee made his feelings clear. How could he suddenly take back what he’d said, when Gaara had already done what he could to shut that door closed?

“No.” He breathed, “Don’t say that now. You didn’t feel that for me days ago, you said it yourself. Don’t pretend you do.”  

“Please, I mean it.” Lee inhaled sharply, hurt at the way Gaara jerked from him. He shook his head, pleading. “I am not pretending. I want to be with you. Just now, when I saw you and I thought you had died, I just...” Lee’s voice shook, and the tears welled up in his eyes again. “I did not know what to do. I cannot imagine surviving in this world without you. It hurts to even think about that. Please, Gaara? Please be with me?”

Gaara felt the cubicle wall behind him supporting his body as he bowed his head and slid both hands through his hair in frustration. He'd been through a rollercoaster of emotions since the morning he confessed, that he didn't know what he wanted now. Kankuro was dead. He'd killed him like he'd killed Tenten. And he wasn't going to stop doing what was needed even if Temari was next. Lee was the wild card that threw his stability off-balance and kept him from reason and logic. And he’d just thrown the same words Gaara had used to confess to him.

Someone's voice had turned into a gutteral wail and Gaara's face scrunched up, throat raw, blood smearing on his forehead and temples where his palms were. When his eyes opened again, he stared down at the floor, struggling to get his hitching breath in check. "L...Lee why a...are you so annoying?”

“What?” Lee blinked widely, then winced with a sheepish expression. “Um, youth is an unpredictable thing. Sometimes springtime is hard to recognize. It, um, took me a little while to sort out what I was feeling. I am sorry!”

Lee looked on with concern at Gaara’s expression. He still had his hands on the other man’s sides as he explained. “I, um, I just really care about you, and when two youthful people have a connection like this, emotions can become very confused. I am still confused, to be honest. But if you would just be with me, with hard work and perseverance I am sure we can reach our springtime together!”

During the whole speech, Gaara kept his eyes on the floor as he listened to Lee’s voice. He still couldn’t understand why Lee suddenly changed his mind about this, when Gaara had been so sure that that opportunity was closed even before he confessed. There were too many unanswered questions, and the impulse to leave the Crimson Sand on this solo mission had been a by-product of some of them. They were in a difficult situation where second chances were a distant ideal and moving on was all they could do. By the time Lee spouted his second ‘springtime’ though, Gaara had heard enough. Trying to understand Lee’s logic was missing the point of his friend’s reliance on his heart.

Lifting his eyes, the redheads lips tugged into a scowl and he grabbed hold of Lee’s jacket collar, pulling his irritating, outspoken, optimistic, foolish, idiotic, incomprehensible friend down for an open-mouthed kiss.

Lee jolted in surprise and inhaled sharply. That was all the hesitation he gave however before he was sliding his arms around Gaara’s back and tugging him closer. Lee moved his mouth against Gaara’s, lifting a hand to hold the redhead’s face while he softened his lips and tilted his head. Gaara’s body was warm and alive against his, and there was something in the back of Lee’s mind that seemed to get the confirmation he needed, because the churning in his chest and gut transformed into a small blaze. Lee’s hand on the side of Gaara’s face gripped tighter, smearing blood and tears as he leaned forward and held the redhead closer against him.

All those people who claimed that kissing blocked out the rest of the world were wrong. Gaara saw the streaks of blood on Lee’s face, knowing all too well where it came from. He heard the silence around them, could see the fading rays of the sun reflecting against dirty computer screens and glass dividers. And he could still see his brother’s body lying next to them.

Except Lee’s mouth was salty and warm, and the death around them only led to Gaara’s surprise when Lee began to move his lips in a way that made the redhead wonder if the other man was as inexperienced as he seemed to be. Heat flashed over Gaara’s skin when he slid his hands around Lee’s chest, inching closer on his knees.

A discreet cough broke the silence and effectively broke the kiss as well, with Gaara pulling away first with a thick inhale. “Perhaps we should make our way to your home, Mr. Sabaku. It’s going to get dark soon,” Baki said.

Gaara’s face was still dirty with tear streaks and blood, but his eyes were clear and composed again when he looked at Lee. “We will talk tonight.” He said with finality, color returning to his skin as he let his hands linger over the man’s arms. This opportunity was now open to him again, and it gave him the breathing room to focus on getting them to a safe place.

“Yeah,” Lee agreed, his voice a little breathless and his cheeks flushed. He nodded, and after a pause managed to unwrap his arms from Gaara and stand up. He took a deep breath, then winced and gagged at the smell of death and guts in the room. He held his hand out to help Gaara up.

Long term, Lee didn’t know what this would mean for them. He wasn’t used to thinking that way. Even before the outbreak, when they’d been forced to focus on day to day survival, Lee had always been the hotheaded type of person to act first and think later with his choices. Sometimes it didn’t work out for him, but sometimes it did, too. And with someone as level headed and cautious as Gaara to think things through for them, what did they have to lose? Lee glanced at the exit. “Just so you know, Temari is really worried about you. She is probably going to be mad when we get back.”

"Mm," Gaara nodded, taking one last look at Kankuro's body. Temari would be furious with him, but she'd want to know about their brother. Baki handed him his bloodstained golf club and he began leading them towards the stairs.

 


	11. Chapter 11

Cold showers were one of the things Gaara had been unable to stand before the epidemic. He still hated them now as he hurriedly scrubbed the blood off his body under the freezing spray. The familiar scent of his shampoo and soap was comforting, even though there was a layer of dust over everything in his bathroom and the rest of the apartment now.

The place had remained as fortified as they'd left it, and just as well-stocked with all the food they'd stored there from the other apartment complexes. Shutting off the shower, Gaara stepped out and wrapped himself in the biggest towel he had to ward off the chill while he searched for something warm to wear.

Downstairs in the living room, Lee had already shed the clothes that Gaara had inadvertently soiled during their embrace, and did a spot clean across his skin with a wet wash cloth to remove all the blood and dirt. He hadn’t put on a new shirt yet, since he’d gotten distracted with inspecting the injury in his arm.

To put it simply, Moegi was going to be furious with him. Lee winced, more at the thought of how the little girl would react than from actual pain. She wasn’t as forceful as Sakura when it came to taking care of people and their health, but she still had some very admirable determination, and she could often shriek with frustration when she found out he’d been overworking his injury. Lee was working on unwrapping his bandages now, since he’d reopened the wound and seemed to have been bleeding for a short while. He hadn’t even noticed until they’d reached the apartment and were finally able to breathe easily. It was hard for him to see, but he could feel that the wound hadn’t ripped or anything as devastating, but it was sore and would take longer to heal now.

Lee’s brows furrowed and his mind was on other things however as he dabbed awkwardly at the wound with some Betadine that he’d had in his jacket pocket. Baki had gone up to one of the bedrooms to lay down and rest, saying that he was getting old and had a long day. Lee could hear the water running in Gaara’s shower until he shut it off, and felt his lips tingling at the thought of their kiss. He stood up, bandages still only half unwrapped down his arm and poked his head around the corner to see up the stairs, hoping to catch a glimpse of the redhead. “Gaara? How was the water?”

Gaara heard Lee's voice and stepped out of his room to peer over the bannister with a towel still draped over his head. "Clean. Suna must still have a clean water supply." He headed down the stairs on house slippers with a shirt still making its way past his neck and shoulders. When he saw Lee's attempt to treat his arm, he quickened his steps until he was in front of the other man. "Let me see your arm."

He could see the fresh blood over the stitches and staining the loose wrapping Lee had left half undone. Traveling the distance between the Crimson Sand and his company, then on to his home must have put a lot of stress on Lee’s arm. And the fool even left his sling.

"I'll cut up a new sling for you."  He said, placing his hand on the wrapped portion of his arm. The redhead's brows were knotted, part of him wanting to scold Lee for coming after him when his arm needed rest and the other part knowing he'd have done the same were their roles reversed. Though his main concern was for Lee’s arm, he couldn’t help glancing at the man’s toned chest before saying, "Kankuro has a lot of old shirts left behind."

“It is not that bad,” Lee said, complying with Gaara’s inspection and holding out his arm as he was prompted. He felt a sympathetic squeeze in his chest at the mention of Kankuro, though Gaara had at least calmed down now. Lee hesitated awkwardly, still feeling unsure about where they’d left off and what it implied, but put his other hand over Gaara’s wrist anyway with a soft squeeze. “Do not worry about it. It is just a little sore, and I tried not to overdo it too much. I think I just aggravated it, and did not seriously reopen it. You should focus on getting ready to go back to the hotel tomorrow.”

Lee glanced down and blinked suddenly as he noticed something. He squeezed Gaara’s bare wrist again and ran his fingers over the skin there.. “Wow, you are freezing! Was there ice in the shower?”

“The water’s very cold.” Gaara replied, inhaling sharply at the warmth of Lee’s fingers against his wrist. His eyes slid up, looking at the other man’s expression with quiet intensity. There hadn’t been time to really understand what their relationship was going to be after Lee’s declaration earlier, but he couldn’t help holding Lee’s proclamation of love at a distance, unwilling to believe it just like that. They'd have to figure things out starting with that shared kiss.

“After you shower, I’ll redo your bandages.”He said, "Do you need help with anything else?"

“No thanks, I think I can manage,” Lee lifted his eyes from Gaara’s wrist and froze briefly at the look in the other’s eyes. It was deep and probing, as if he were watching Lee like some sort of fascinating insect. Gaara had looked at him like this before, but he hadn’t known why until the confession. Lee swallowed, feeling somewhat lost and oddly uneasy, but also simultaneously warm. He was silent for an incredibly awkward amount of time before he finally cleared his throat and snapped his gaze away. “I- I will be right back. I will be quick.”

He brushed past Gaara on his way up the stairs to the bathroom, lifting his bandages to keep them from trailing behind.

Following Lee’s retreat with his eyes, Gaara’s lips twitched up before he headed to the kitchen to see what food Baki hadn’t packed away.

By the time Gaara had a simple dinner of canned food brought out, he’d covered all the plates and headed up the stairs again to find replacement clothes for Lee with a bottle of rubbing alcohol and betadine in hand. He heard Baki snoring as he passed by Temari’s room, reminding him to thank the older man for coming with Lee. Baki had been the closest confidant the Sabaku family had since he didn’t have a family of his own. He was glad the man survived.

He lingered a bit longer in Kankuro’s room, piling some clothes for Lee and sitting on the bed as he poked around in his brother’s drawers and side table. Kankuro had never allowed him to do that before, but he wanted to bring something back for Temari.

Lee walked in while Gaara was still bent over the drawers, dressed in just his dirty pants with his towel around his shoulders. He blinked at Gaara’s back and cleared his throat to let the man know he was there, glancing around the room awkwardly. He felt like he was intruding on something meaningful and private by being in Kankuro’s room so soon after Gaara had finally put him to rest. Lee noticed the clothes laid out and felt a heavy sense of regret that he needed to take them. “Are those for me?” he asked, walking to the bedside.

Gaara had a tiny wooden figure in hand, holding it by its strings as he looked up at Lee. Warmth rushed up his neck and ears as he inevitably took in Lee’s bare chest again, seeing the network of scars on his body and the hair peppering his chest glistening with moisture. Setting down Kankuro’s puppet and taking the pile of clothes in one hand, he stood up from the bed and strode towards Lee with a gleam in his eyes.

Stopping in front of the man, he reached out and pressed his palm against one of the bigger scars running across Lee’s chest without warning. “When you said your body was scarred, I didn’t think it would be this much.” He said, eyes lifting to look at Lee’s face again. “Did all of these come from the car accident?”

Lee sucked in a breath and his eyes became very wide. “Um, n-no. I was very c-clumsy when I was younger, and- um- I have been in a couple accidents on the job. And off the job.”

Internally, Lee was freaking out. When the bottom line was drawn, Lee really did think that being together felt right between he and Gaara, and their spontaneous kiss in the office building had been amazing. At the same time however, Lee wasn’t gay. Until now. Well, sort of. He didn’t think he was attracted to men, but he was definitely attracted to Gaara- the more he thought about it- so maybe he was just gay for Gaara?

But that didn’t change the fact that he wasn’t really _gay_ , or at least had never considered being with another man before this. He’d only confessed a couple hours ago! So, was it normal for Gaara to be touching him like this, so soon? He wasn’t really _doing_ anything yet, but the potential was there, and Lee would have to take off his clothes to change, and now that he thought about it he really should have just put on a shirt before walking around the apartment.

Lee’s eyes were getting steadily wider, and his chest quivered under Gaara’s hand. Maybe he could blame the cold water for that. He should be freezing. Except that with the train of thought that had started through his head ever since Gaara put his hand on Lee’s bare body, Lee could feel himself flushing way too hot.

“Um, I am cold,” he stated dumbly, reaching for the clothes in Gaara’s other hand without taking his eyes off the redhead’s face. He was starting to feel like he was staring in the eyes of a predator.

Gaara handed over the clothes without objection but his eyes remained on Lee’s face. Just by the look in Lee’s eyes, he had an idea of where the man’s thoughts were heading, and the way his chest quivered under his hand confirmed it. He pulled his hand back and broke their gaze. The wide, petrified expression on his friend’s face amused him to a degree, but it didn’t bode well for a relationship beyond friends. “Get dressed. Your wound needs to be cleaned properly.”

He turned to get the puppet from the bed, running a hand through his hair tiredly. His arms still ached from the rampage he’d gone on earlier, and he let his thoughts turn to the food downstairs instead of how Lee’s frozen, speechless expression made his pulse quicken.

Still flushed, Lee nodded and left the room with his new clothes. He changed in the bathroom, berating himself all the while for freezing up like some kind of bambi virgin afraid to lose her innocence. Gaara wasn’t going to twiddle some handlebar mustache and laugh maniacally while plotting how to get into his pants. Gaara was still his friend. Lee took a couple deep breaths and returned to Kankuro’s room with a new determination.

When he came back, barely two minutes had passed. He walked to the bedside behind Gaara, glancing at the wooden figure on top of the blankets. Lee put an arm around Gaara’s back and squeezed his shoulder softly. “Are you okay?” he asked.

Gaara was holding the puppet by its crossbar, trying to make it move the way Kankuro was able to but unable to copy the curious movements the older Sabaku sibling could make it do. He glanced up at his friend, warmed by the arm around his shoulders and exhaled. “No. Sit down, I have your sling ready.” He set the puppet down and reached for the scraps of fabric he’d torn with a scissor earlier.

“Father had a nickname for Kankuro, one that my brother hated but we all sometimes used to tease him with.” He said conversationally, popping the cap on the alcohol bottle. “He was the puppet master. This was one of his first carvings, back when he took shop in high school. Temari would want to have it.”

“Good find,” Lee agreed. He sat down like he was told and rolled his short sleeve higher so that it wouldn’t be in the way. He looked down at the puppet on the bed beside him. Kankuro must have had a talent if that had been his first work. It was intricate, with a unique design Lee hadn’t seen before, and had even been painted. Lee tilted his head to read the name ‘Crow’ on the puppet’s hem.

“I do not have any brothers or sisters,” Lee said, though he knew that Gaara was already aware of this. Lee wrinkled his nose at the smell of the alcohol unhappily. “All the family I had was Uncle Gai.”

“Your description of your uncle makes him sound like enough family to have.” Gaara poured a bit of alcohol over a scrap and dabbed it over Lee’s wound. The skin looked slightly swollen and red, but the bleeding had stopped from the ice cold shower. Gaara’s eyes were lidded as he worked. The temporary safe house they were in lent him time to gather his thoughts, though all he was achieving right now was a jumble of facts and questions.

When he was done cleaning the wound, he used the same cloth to put betadine over the stitches then began to wrap fresh scraps around Lee’s arm. “Lee, how sure are you that what you feel for me goes beyond friendship?” He asked, his eyes still on Lee’s arm as he made a neat line of wrappings.

Lee let out the breath he’d been holding since he felt the sting of the alcohol. He looked up at Gaara’s face, and thought about the gentle way the redhead had been taking care of him since the episode at the power plant. Lee took Gaara’s hand before he could even finish the wrapping and squeezed it in both of his. Gaara hands were weapons that killed the undead like tools, but they could also be tender when no one else was around. He took a breath and tried to look earnest. “I am very sure about this. I am sorry that I was so indecisive before. I love you.”

Lee’s ears were turning pink, unfamiliar with saying these things to another man, but he continued on. “I- I have not ever felt this way about a man before, and it still seems weird to me sometimes, but I do want to be with you. Very badly.”

Gaara’s eyes slid up to regard Lee coolly, clasping his hand around one of Lee’s slightly. “You’ve never been attracted to men before.” He said in a crisp, blunt voice. He wasn’t shy at all about discussing these things, and he wasn’t going to soften the truth of what Lee was getting into. ”Can you imagine having sex with me? Can you accept that I don’t have breasts or a vagina?”

He barely paused to breath before he spoke again, voice deep and almost pondering, “...I’ve thought about it, and about you. Whenever you suddenly hug me, when there’s a fire in your eyes during our sparring, and after all those time you’d touched me and I didn’t push your hand away.”

“Oh.” Lee blinked owlishly, and his cheeks flushed red. He looked down at Gaara’s hand in his, his brows furrowing and his neck feeling hot. Half of him was mortified by Gaara’s usual ability to openly discuss what made other people uncomfortable, but the other half of him felt oddly flattered at the way Gaara described him. “I, um... I have not had a lot of time to think about this. B-but I have thought about this. I said no the first time because I did not think I could feel that way for anyone who was not a woman. After that, I kept wondering what it would have been like and what I was missing without you. I think I have been attracted to you for a while now and never realized it. I have even flirted with you a couple times and never thought about it.”

Lee touched the veins through the thin skin on the back of Gaara’s hand, a small distraction from his embarrassment as he spoke. “I do not think I can j-just jump into, um, s-sex or anything, um, like that right away, but I could, um, eventually see that. I just need some time to process this, um, first.”

Lee’s flushed cheeks were echoed in the pink of Gaara’s ears with the gentle stroke on the back of his hand. Something that small seemed to pull him across the distance he was trying to keep from his emotions, somehow affecting him just as the little things Lee did got past his defenses. The cool look in his eyes wavered. “Okay.” He said quietly, turning his hand around in Lee’s grasp and pulling the man’s arm close again to finish wrapping the cloth around it. “We will try this.”

His brows knotted slightly as he looped the cloth around Lee’s fingers. Now that he’d said that, he was at a loss about where to go from here. He’d never expected Lee to return his feelings, and hadn’t considered what would happen if he did. “...Lee, I’m still not writing you a haiku.”

Lee smiled at that and chuckled. The thick flush in his cheeks finally began to soften and fade. “Fine, but do not expect me not to write any,” he said. “Though I know you are not a fan of my poetry.”

When Gaara finished the last of the wrapping and tucked the end of the bandages into his palm, Lee flexed appreciatively and looked up and down his arm. Gaara had gotten good at helping him with this. Still sitting, Lee thoughtlessly wrapped his arms around Gaara’s waist and hugged him with a muttered thanks. He let go just as thoughtlessly and stood with a stretch. “Will we be in your room tonight?”

Gaara let out the breath caught in his chest and snorted, standing up as well and gathering the things on the bed. Even after all this time, he still wasn’t used to Lee’s sudden hugs. Lips twitching up, his eyes narrowed in thought, his face grown calculating before he lifted his heels and pressed a dry kiss to the nape of Lee’s neck.

“Yes. Dinner’s ready downstairs.” He said, walking around Lee and heading for the hallway.

Lee’s feet were nailed to the floor for a few seconds as he watched Gaara walk away. He swallowed slowly and put a hand over his neck where Gaara’s lips had been. The kiss had left abrupt tingles across his skin. Lee realized distantly that even when he got used to the concept of being with another man, Gaara was going to keep him on his toes. The corners of his lips pulled up, and he grabbed his sling before following the redhead to the hallway and down the stairs.

* * *

 

“I _told_ you not to strain your arm again!” Moegi cried, glaring furiously at Lee as the two men took a seat in her clinic-- actually the conference room Lee had been treated in. She zeroed in on the new sling on Lee’s arm and shook her head as she began pulling out antiseptic and proper bandages. The scouting teams finally brought her enough materials to operate a decent clinic, and medical books to help her treat wounds like Lee’s.

“His arm swelled a little last night and bled, but it looks better today.” Gaara crossed his arms beside Lee and sneaked a glance at his friend, a corner of his lips twitching up. They were both a little dusty with sand and dirt particles, fresh from their journey from the apartment to the hotel. It had been too dangerous to make a stop at the mall, so they’d taken the fastest path back here.

Moegi set the items on the conference table and pulled a seat in front of Lee. “If you tore the stitches, I’m going to redo the whole thing.” She said, lip jutting out hard as she waited for Lee to show her his arm.

“I am sorry,” Lee apologized contritely as he unwound the bandages and held out his arm for her. His brows pulled together sincerely. “It was an emergency this time, at least I was not training.”

“It doesn’t matter, you should be more careful no matter what,” she scolded. She looked over his arm carefully, poking him and reviewing the stitches with gloved hands.

Lee bore Moegi’s irate tone without complaint, and only returned a couple of Gaara’s sneaky glances with a sheepish one of his own. Moegi was completely justified for being mad at him, even if he would have done it again.

“I don’t have the redo the stitches, but I need to clean it again,” she said belligerently. “I’m serious though, if you do _anything else_ to make it worse I’ll have to get out the needle all over again.”

There was a knock on the door of the conference room before Baki opened it, and Temari was a blonde storm that descended on Gaara with a dark green glare and a scowl that made her just as frightening as a real storm. “Well? What have you got to say for yourself?” Temari raised a brow and crossed her arms, fingers tapping on the crook of her elbow.

Unfreezing from beside Temari, Moegi began to clean Lee’s wound and tried not to get in the woman’s path.

Blinking up at his sister, Gaara reached for his pack on the floor and pulled out Kankuro’s puppet and a bundle of photos from their apartment. “He’s gone.” He said, offering the items to his sister. “Everyone left at the company is really dead.”

Temari’s face was scrunched as she took the items, barely looking at the puppet before leaning forward and hugging Gaara fiercely. “Don’t do that again.” She said in a controlled voice. “I’m not losing another brother.”

Gaara breathed in and out, taking in Temari’s comforting smell and the rare moment of affection between them. His hands went up to press against her shoulder blades lightly, before he said, “Lee’s my boyfriend now.”

Lee’s eyes nearly doubled in size and he jumped at the casual mention of his name, bumping Moegi’s hand and earning a glare from her. He was more concerned however with the look that Temari was giving him from over Gaara’s shoulder. Her eyes were narrowed and threatening, like foreboding windows to death. Her lips were pursed into a thin line and her grip on her brother tightened. Her expression disappeared quickly however before anyone else could notice, replaced by a smooth, serious face as she pulled back and looked at her brother.

“I- we were just talking after I caught up t-to Gaara and we, um, realized that we both have very youthful feelings of affection for each other and, um, we are in the springtime of love and the flower of our, um, relationship is blooming, and we-” Lee was stuttering with embarrassment at the way Moegi was scrutinizing him, not even pretending to focus on the wound anymore as Lee rambled almost incomprehensibly in explanation.

Temari interrupted before Lee could finish making a fool of himself, addressing her brother. “That seems very sudden. Have you thought this through?” she probed cautiously, her hands still on Gaara’s shoulders.

Gaara nodded, his expression serious and decided. “I can take care of Lee.” He said, still looking at Temari, “I won’t let him get killed when I’m with him. He’s not ready for anything intimate, but we agreed to work on that.”

“That’s not exactly what I meant.” Temari’s brow wrinkled with stress. “Are you sure you want to start a relationship when all of this is going on?”

“They were very friendly with each other already.” Baki remarked from the door.

The redhead glanced at his friend, then back at Temari with a look in his eyes. “Yes. I already confessed to him before he did. He rejected me at first, but he still came after me.”

Lee wondered briefly if he was the only one in the room who could really see Temari’s expressions, because if anyone else noticed that her eyes became visions of death for the second time, they didn’t show it. Lee began to hyperventilate.

“Th-that is not exactly h-how it all happened!” he protested. Moegi watched their conversation openly now, her hands working on automatically with the bandages on Lee’s arm.

“Then how did it happen?” Temari asked, her voice calm, but at the same time threatening. Lee gulped, and his mouth gaped while his voice seemed paralyzed. “Because it sounds to me like you rejected Gaara. Then, when his life was in danger and I trusted you with retrieving him, you took advantage of the opportunity to make him your boyfriend.”

“Y-youthful feelings can become c-confused...” Lee mumbled, flushing at the context Temari put their situation in. She had it all wrong!

“Temari,” Gaara said, calling his sister’s attention back to himself. “It was my choice to look for Kankuro on my own-”

“A stupid decision.” Temari said sharply.

Gaara just continued, “I thought he only followed after me because you sent him, but his arm was injured and he wouldn’t have gone if that was his motive.” His eyes narrowed as he turned to Lee. “Next time, lock him in his room and send someone else. If his wound had been opened, he could have been infected.”

Lips pursing, Temari brushed her bangs out of her eyes and straightened up. Kankuro’s puppet was gripped tightly in her hand and when she slipped it in her jacket pocket along with the photos, it left red dents on her palm. “There won’t be a next time. And I thought you were straight.”

“I am,” Lee said. His wide eyes turned down to look at the floor so that he wouldn’t have to make eye contact. “Um, mostly. S-sometimes the flowers of springtime do not all-”

“I get it.” Temari held up a hand with an exasperated sigh before Lee could even finish that thought. She looked between each of the people in the room carefully- Lee blushing, Gaara casual, Baki silent, and Moegi wide eyed- and the stubborn fight seemed to finally leave her. She relaxed a fraction and put a hand on Gaara’s shoulder. “Thank you for bringing these to me,” she said simply, touching the puppet and photos in her pocket. She turned and marched out the door, brushing lightly past Baki in the doorway. The man turned and followed her, leaning close while they walked to speak quietly.

“Temari can be scary,” Moegi commented, almost in a whisper as she reached the end of the bandages and tucked them into place.

Gaara snorted in amusement, already used to how people perceived their family. “I’ll drop these at the kitchen and head up. I’ll wait for you in our room.” He told Lee, picking up the pack and getting up.

Moegi’s eyes were wide. For a moment, Gaara looked like he was about to lean over Lee and kiss him, but the man simply reached out and ruffled Lee’s hair almost playfully even when his lips remained a firm line. When he’d gone out the door, she cleared her throat and stared at the remaining person in her clinic.

“So...you and Gaara?” She began stripping off the gloves only to press a hand against her mouth to stifle a giggle.

“Y-yes,” Lee admitted, his cheeks still flushed as he unrolled his sleeve down over his bandages. He felt his lips quirk up in a small smile as he smoothed down the hair Gaara had ruffled. His breath caught self-consciously, pleased. He glanced up at Moegi. “Do you think it is odd?”

Moegi’s cheeks gained twin spots of red and she smiled back at Lee. “Just a little. He’s just so...so serious and cold, and you’re always smiling even when there’s a problem.” She shrugged as she dropped the gloves in a wash basin. “But I guess it’s not so odd. You guys do act like a couple sometimes, looking out for each other and arguing.”

“We do?” Lee sat up and blinked in surprise. He stood up and stretched, his expression thoughtful. Maybe this had been coming for a while after all. He just hadn’t seen it. Lee rubbed his shoulder and flexed as he started toward the door. “W-well I guess it is official now. Thank you for your help with my arm again.”

“Take care of it this time,” Moegi warned, as sternly as a teenage girl could manage while still giggly. She pointed at him teasingly, “Or I’ll tell your boyfriend on you.” 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is _slightly_ **NSFW**.

Lee panted, spread out on the ground with sweat thick on his brow. His hair was just as shiny and smooth as ever, but his skin was flushed and there was a heavy tingling of exertion in his muscles. The grin on his face was blinding as he threw a hand out and touched Gaara’s shoulder where the redhead was laying on the floor beside him.

“Thanks. I really needed to spar again, and a good work out.” Lee turned his head and looked at the other man with a satisfied glint in his eye, pleased since he’d won the last round. “That one dragged out for a while. Have you been planning that last move?”

Gaara was too busy catching his breath back and staring up at the ceiling to reply immediately, but he craned his neck to face the other man after a few more breaths. “S...Since yester...day. You...you still won.” He said, his eyes lidded and dilated. Lee’s bangs were pressed against his forehead and the winning glint in his eyes brought a shudder in Gaara’s body.

Taking a deep breath, he rolled onto his hands and knees right on top of Lee, reversing what usually happened during their spars and pinning Lee’s shoulders to the ground. His blood pumped through his body with adrenaline and a pent up desire that had been building since they’d come back to the hotel and Lee hadn’t so much as done anything beyond gentle pecks and kisses.

He panted, flushed and hot and silent as he stared down at the other man with a dark look in his eyes.

Lee blinked, looking up at Gaara with an intrigued expression. His chest was still rising and falling quickly, but it was slowing down compared to how worked up he’d been before. His body thrummed with the challenge he recognized in Gaara’s dark, assessing expression, at first thinking that they were on their way to a rematch. At the same time however, he felt something else simmering under the surface. There was a fresh, different tension that was stronger now than when they’d been fighting.

Without saying a word, Lee sat up suddenly and wrapped his arms around Gaara, their chests pressed together as he rolled forward until their positions had been reversed. His teeth flashed as his grin twisted in challenge. Lee was pressed closer against the other man than was technically necessary to hold him down, their chests touching and their legs in a tangle, and his arms on either side acted as more of a cage than a restraint so that Gaara could still move. “Problem, Gaara?” Lee goaded, quieter than his usual boasts.

Gaara licked his dry lips and tasted salt, the heat in his body fanned by Lee suddenly pressed up against him. This wasn’t the happy, excitable man he knew, no, this was the one lurking behind those round eyes. The one that always, _always_ thought of everything as a challenge. Gaara wasn’t going to lose again. He lifted his hand and traced a finger between Lee’s brows, moving down the bridge of his nose, past his nostrils, and down to his mouth where he flicked his lower lip.

He didn’t speak. He didn’t need to answer Lee’s goading with words when he could wrap his legs around the back of Lee’s and lean up to rake his teeth lightly against Lee’s jaw, letting the other man know he was going to play this game with him.

Lee stiffened briefly in surprise by Gaara’s move, but the gleam in his eye only burned a fraction harder. He put a hand on Gaara’s collar and dragged blunt nails down the other man’s chest through his shirt as he pushed him down again and bore down on top of him. He ducked his head down beside Gaara’s, turning to drag the tip of his nose along the redhead’s jaw. Lee nudged Gaara’s head aside and touched lips to his neck briefly, before nipping just above the hemline of his shirt. Lee’s fingertips dragged lower to hold Gaara down by a tight grip on his hip.

Gaara’s mouth parted silently as he sucked in a breath of air. His skin was rapidly cooling from the cold temperature, but heat bloomed wherever Lee’s hands or mouth touched. He had underestimated him. But, he wondered how far Lee would go with another man. He pressed his hips up, fighting against the grip there and the hand on his chest.

Hands sliding up Lee’s back, he lifted his head and latched his mouth around the stretch of skin between Lee’s neck and shoulder, kissing first then sucking the tanned skin hard enough to leave a mark. His legs pressed against Lee’s thighs, encouraging the press and shift of their hips.

Lee grunted and squeezed his eyes shut, caught off guard by the way Gaara squirmed beneath him, fighting _towards_ him to bring them closer. Lately the redhead had been testing sneaky moves during their sparring sessions, but the lips attacking Lee’s skin and the legs wrapped around the back of his thighs squeezing weren’t even subtle. Lee followed Gaara’s lead for a few seconds, shocked by the way their hips fit together as they both shifted their bodies and ground while battling for the upper hand.

Lee slid his hand down from Gaara’s hip to clutch the back of his thigh, squeezing and pulling it tighter around his own. He was laying with almost all his weight centered on top of Gaara, but he wasn’t getting up until Gaara told him to. This was still a challenge, and Lee Rock took these things very seriously. Eyes still closed, Lee dragged his mouth back up Gaara’s neck and jaw until his lips were pressed under the redhead’s ear. Taking Gaara’s earlobe between his teeth, he bit just a little too hard to be called gentle and dragged his teeth along the flesh there.

A pleased growl escaped Gaara’s lips with the harsh attention. He doubted Lee could work up the courage to be this rough with Sakura. The thick pants he had on drew friction against Lee’s as their hips ground against each other, stirring the heat rushing below his stomach together with Lee’s roving lips. But it fell short of satisfying the snatches of pleasure humming through his body.

Green eyes narrowed into slits, he dug his heels in the space between Lee’s knees then wrapped his fists around the back of Lee’s shirt. With the man’s weight pressing down on him, there was one option he could take- Gaara slid himself down while pushing Lee’s body up, ducking his head away from Lee’s mouth until he was face to face with the man’s chest. With his hands free, he slid the other man’s shirt up and licked at the contracted muscles there.

Lee sucked in an abrupt breath as Gaara slid beneath him. He ducked his head to see what Gaara was doing, but only caught a glimpse of the other man’s sharp green eyes, narrowed and glinting with calculative mischief before Lee could only see messy red hair and felt that hot, wet tongue across his chest. Lee exhaled sharply and his hips jerked involuntarily against Gaara’s in response. Lee bit his lip, trying to formulate a new plan despite the way his head was starting to swirl with hormones and left over adrenalin. Gaara fought dirty.

Unwilling to surrender the upper hand, Lee tugged his shirt over his head. He pulled his arms free of the sleeves without letting Gaara escape from under his hips and abs and tossed it away. Instead of returning his hand to Gaara’s thigh, Lee gripped the other man by his hair, turning Gaara’s face up so that he could duck down and press their mouths together, hard.

This time, Gaara couldn’t hold back the gasp as he was pulled up by his hair. For a split second, he’d been willing to punch Lee again for practically yanking the red strands from his scalp, but all thoughts fell away when Lee finally kissed him. A short groan sounded in his throat while he fought to get some leverage on the other man, willingly parting his lips but pushing against Lee’s chest and throwing his weight up. Lee was reminding him why he preferred men.

Hands scrambled at the muscled contours under his palms, and Gaara found that the only advantage he had was to search for the raised nubs on Lee's chest and rub his thumbs over them.

Things were going fast, almost too fast, and it felt like the long wait was finally erupting into a frenzied need for relief. The redhead swiped his tongue against Lee's teeth all of a sudden, darting past his lips to test his limits.

“ _Mmphn-_ ” Lee felt his voice leave him while his mouth moved with Gaara’s and his hips jerked again. He closed his eyes, almost dizzy and on the verge of being overwhelmed. He hadn’t thought they would be doing this, or at least not anytime soon. Whenever he had a relationship with a woman, he was always patient and understanding, never even suggesting anything sexual until she brought it up. When- if- they went that far, he was always gentle and kept her needs at the forefront of his mind.

Lee didn’t need to be gentle with Gaara. Even now, kissing and touching and pressing together, their connection was much more like a challenge and a fight than anything else. It was rough, fast, and bordering on violent. It felt good. If he had time to think about it, he might have realized that he was more comfortable exploring with Gaara during or after an intense spar than in the peace and safety of their room on a bed. At the moment however, he had much more pressing matters on his mind, and Gaara’s tongue in his mouth and Gaara’s hands on his chest.

Lee responded to the swipe of Gaara’s tongue by pulling back just enough to bite the redhead’s bottom lip sharply. He surged forward again and pressed Gaara’s mouth wider with his own, flicking just inside the barrier of teeth with his tongue, testing. The hand in Gaara’s hair slid down the back of his head until he was cradling the other man’s neck. His breath shuddered and he squeezed his eyes tightly.

Gaara opened one eye to look at Lee, his lips swelling from the bite and the hard press of tongue and teeth. The concentration on Lee's face drew the man's impressive eyebrows together in a sharp contrast to when he was relaxed and grinning. He met Lee's tongue with his own and battled with it, twisting and licking while a distant thought remarked that they were trading saliva and everything that came with it. It was time for a power attack.

With a small huff through his nose, he anticipated when Lee seemed most distracted then pinched his nipples sharply, throwing his leg over Lee's hips and rolling them over. He broke the kiss with a gasp and pushed himself up on Lee's chest, raking his fingernails over his nipples with a rare smirk crossing his face as he looked down at his friend, breathless and flushed with desire. "So you are attracted to men."

Lee moaned, his voice low and shockingly pleased, and immediately clapped a hand over his mouth in surprise at himself. His brows pulled together and he glared at Gaara accusingly. His chest rose involuntarily to follow Gaara’s dragging fingernails, and he couldn’t control his breathing. “Th-that is not true. I am just attracted to you. I have already told you that!”

Realizing that Gaara was on the verge of winning this challenge- with a tiny voice in the back of his mind asking why he even cared anymore when his boyfriend was setting his nipples on fire like that, _holy crud_ \- Lee reached up and tried to pull Gaara down for another another kiss.

Gaara’s brows lifted at the groan, cheeks flushing darker at how arousing it sounded before he resolved to wring out more of those from Lee. He evaded Lee’s hand, swatting it away while his fingers continued to torment the dark brown peaks. One hand began to travel down Lee’s chest, dragging palm against hot skin until it reached and passed the hem of the man’s pants to feel the bulge between his legs.

Despite the pleasured slits of his eyes and the swollen lips he sported from Lee’s kisses, Gaara still had that calculating look on his face as he lifted his gaze slowly up Lee’s body until he met his friend’s eyes. “I’m not feminine in any way. My hands are strong and just as calloused as yours,” He murmured, voice low and deceptively soft. “Is this what you really want? ...What your body wants?”

Lee’s eyes were almost perfect circles as he looked up into Gaara’s eyes, temporarily frozen in place despite his quick, ragged breath and the adrenalin that shot through his body. _Gaara’s hand was between his legs._ Gaara’s fingers were shamelessly feeling him up through his pants, probably getting a pretty good idea about how aroused Lee had become while they’d been challenging and testing each other’s limits. Lee’s cheeks flushed worsened as his erection only got harder at the stimulation.

“I- I just-” Lee stuttered, captivated by the allure in Gaara’s eyes and his voice. Lee had never seen him like this before. It was so intense.... “Yes,” Lee finally admitted, his breath strained and his hips squirming. “You- you are right. You are not... not like a woman at all.”

Suddenly falling back on the floor and throwing his arms out, Lee’s body stopped moving in surrender. “You win! I lose this round. You are too much for me,” he said, still panting as his eyes slid closed. “You are too youthful.”

Gaara licked his lips again to wet his drying mouth, regretting that he knew his friend too well to know that this was the end of their fight. At least, for now. He’d already pushed Lee beyond what he’d expected and confirmed that Lee _did_ want him physically. He eased up on tormenting Lee’s body and leaned forward for a soft kiss instead, still aware of their erections as his hips shifted on top of Lee’s. “I was beginning to think you’d lied about being attracted to me. I won the moment you finally touched me back.” He murmured, “Getting you to admit that was only a bonus.”

He rolled off of his friend, sitting up and grunting when his pants felt too tight and hot against his skin. The desire burning in his eyes had dimmed down now, but his body was still flushed, sweaty and already starting to ache where Lee had kicked or punched too hard. Casting a glance at the other man, he knew his bruises wouldn’t elicit as much question as the hickey glaringly red and round on Lee’s neck.

“Your arm’s almost completely healed now.” He observed, slowly shifting back to his collected self.

“Yeah,” Lee responded, letting out a sigh of relief when Gaara finally slid off him. He shivered, chilled without Gaara’s heat pressed against him, and still very aroused. There was an embarrassing tent in the front of his pants and his nipples were still hypersensitive, even just to the small brushes of air from the room. Lee sat up and pulled his knees to his chest, and focused on deep breathing for a while. He rolled his left shoulder and flexed his arm.

“It is still sore a lot, but I think it will not be much longer until even that passes. It has been much better lately,” he agreed. The angle of his neck as Lee rested his cheek on one knee showed off his fresh hickey, but he didn’t seem to notice that it was there.

“Don’t join any of the teams until the soreness is gone. The next time a team does a run, I’ll have them get a balm for muscle pain.” Gaara said, rubbing his neck where Lee had first nipped him. Letting out a deep breath, he pushed himself up and frowned when his legs wobbled, his muscles already starting to protest from the spar. The long interval during Lee’s healing put a temporary stop to their mock battles, and he was feeling the lack of practice now. Maybe Lee wasn’t the only one who needed that balm.

Looking down at the other man, he had to stifle the urge to take him down again. If it had taken days for something like this to happen, anything more might take another week. “Temari will ask about that hickey.” He said, preempting and gauging how receptive Lee would be while they were both still aroused. “We will do this again. When can we continue?”

“C-continue? Hickey?” Lee’s eyes widened and he sat up, clapping a hand over the spot between his shoulder and neck, remembering where Gaara’s mouth had been. “You gave me a hickey?”

Lee shifted, uncomfortable and too hot between his legs. He was trying to calm his body down, but his starved hormones were protesting loudly. Lee rubbed the red spot on his neck. He was unhappy that he’d lost their challenge, but at the same time it was becoming apparent that they’d had some sort of breakthrough together. Lee took a deep breath, and the all-too-familiar churning of nerves seemed to return to his stomach at the idea of ‘continuing.’ “Um... later? M-maybe back at our room, um... later.” Lee’s eyes drifted down Gaara’s body and lingered just under his belt for a few seconds, before he snapped himself out of it with a shake of the head and stood. He brushed himself off quickly and started toward the door, his cheeks a steady shade of tomato. “I need to, um, take a shower right now,” he called behind him.

“Later.” Gaara nodded, watching Lee leave with satisfaction. The aggression Lee had shown earlier had subsided again, but it was good to know that it was there to meet his own.

* * *

“How many people did you say were at the mall?” Temari asked as she stood at the door of the hotel’s basement, overseeing the reinforcement of a truck and a van. Sasori was surprisingly efficient at welding sheets of aluminum and shutters on the vehicles while following Shikamaru’s basic strategies for defending from the inside.

The man himself was leaning against the door frame next to Temari, smoking one of his last sticks to the annoyance of the blonde woman. “Maa, there were around eight people when we left. Used to have more when the outbreak started, but a lot of them got sick in the end.” He blew out a puff of smoke that Temari waved away with a large fan. Ever since she found it in one of the hotel rooms, she’d brought the intricate purple and gold fan with her wherever she went. Having something to fan away the Nara boy’s foul smokes was an added feature.

The winter chill was getting much more bearable, and the winds had calmed down after a brief sandstorm they’d had the other day. The streets would be gritty and dirty with sand, but it was the best time to carry out their plans of bringing people from the mall to the Crimson Sand.

Scowling faintly, Temari mentally walked through the hotel’s floors to see if they’d be able to open up another wing. They had enough electricity from the solar plant, but more people meant they’d have to be even more careful about their usage and rations. “Gaara mentioned a man named Naruto Uzumaki who’s leading the group at the mall. Will he be a problem?”

“Naruto won’t stop here.”

Gaara’s voice came from behind followed by the man himself carrying a light pack and his crossbow. His eyes narrowed at the distance between Shikamaru and Temari, or the apparent lack of enough of it. “He wanted to find a place to start his own community. I believe he plans to go to Konoha later on.”

“That sounds about right,” Shikamaru agreed. He took another drag from his cigarette, flicked away the ashes and exhaled in a long, satisfied sigh. He seemed to blow a good portion of the smoke at Temari, though if it was on purpose his expression was subtle. “Naruto was always going on about finding other survivors and rebuilding human civilization, or something.”

Temari’s scowl deepened as she fanned away the smoke. She cleared her throat in irritation, but turned her attention to her brother. “Once we get to the mall, how long do you think it’ll take to gather everyone? Will we have trouble getting them to come with us?”

“As long as they’re prepared to pack everything and leave with us, they’d want to come here. The mall has a lot of supplies we can use but the hotel is more comfortable to stay at.” Gaara replied.

A crease appeared on Temari’s forehead as she considered that. The truck would be able to hold a lot of things they’d need, but she wished they could have sent word to the mall beforehand. She initially hadn’t been willing to risk manpower, but Gaara’s little impromptu trip to their apartment had shown her that it was possible to get a small group in and out of any area, as long as they were strong and smart. “We need more people who are able to defend themselves and join the scouting teams.” She said, more to herself than to anyone. “Alright. I’m sending Ebisu and Baki to drive the van and truck. Kiba will be in charge of those in the van, with Sari for support. You will be accompanied by Udon in the truck.”

“You’re really sending out Sari? She doesn’t have enough experience for this.” Shikamaru raised a brow.

“She’s been training with Gaara and Lee, hasn’t she?” Temari met Shikamaru’s unaffected gaze over Gaara’s head. “I can’t risk sending out all of our experienced fighters.”

Lee appeared then from the direction that Gaara had arrived. He was rubbing his hands together to warm his fingers, though his grin looked warm today. He stepped up beside Gaara and looked around the group, his hair less shiny than usual in the dim light of the hotel’s basement. “The van is just about finished. We are low on fuel, but we have what we need for a while.”

“Temari just assigned groups. Sari will be in the van,” Shikamaru informed, somehow sounding bored and skeptical at the same time.

“Oh? She will be happy to hear that. She has been waiting for an opportunity to prove herself,” Lee replied thoughtfully. He addressed Temari, “Which vehicle will I be in?”

Temari exhaled through her nose and regarded the other man. She’d have wanted to keep him in the van just to avoid any unnecessary distractions, but there wouldn’t be enough room. Plus, he and Gaara had had experience defending each other. “You’re in the truck with Gaara and Udon. Baki will need help loading any supplies in it.” She decided, fixing Lee with a firm look. She hadn’t forgotten the hickey she’d seen on his neck a few days ago. “Stay focused, all of you.”

“We’re almost done with this.” Sasori called as set down the power drill to the side and dusted his hands on his pants. “I could have added spikes and shit if you’d given me time.”

Lee looked away quickly, as if distracted, and the tips of his ears reddened at Temari’s look.

“It doesn’t need spikes. It would probably slow things down anyway,” Temari responded. It looked like she was resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

“I am excited to see everyone again,” Lee said quietly to Gaara, eyes gleaming. Lee’s arm was finally well enough that he could go on routine runs again, and had insisted on being part of the party that retrieved the mall survivors. He’d almost seemed to heal out of sheer will power in time to make this trip with everyone else. “I have been worried about how they are faring in the cold, and if anyone else heard their radio signal.”

Gaara saw the eagerness in Lee’s face and nodded. His...boyfriend....had been unable to sit still when they first planned out this run, and had defied even Moegi’s predicted date for his recovery. His lips twitched up faintly, which didn’t go unnoticed by Temari as he headed for the truck. Baki was already getting into the driver’s seat while Gaara pulled open the shuttered doors at the back. Sasori had cut out slates on the sides where Gaara had room to fire and push zombies away from the truck without having to get out himself.

“Gaara.” Temari called after her brother, walking quickly to his side and speaking to him in a low voice. Both of the Sabaku siblings’ expressions didn’t change, but Temari clasped her brother’s shoulder in affection.

“They’re a handful aren’t they?” Shikamaru commented, waving away the smoke heading for Lee unlike his careless exhalations when Temari was beside him. He turned his eyes towards the taller man. “How’s it like dating one?”

“Oh, um, Gaara?” Lee smiled at Shikamaru self-consciously, though he’d gotten used to talking about his relationship now that everyone in the hotel knew. He glanced over at the Sabaku siblings. “He and I get along really well. You know that we were friends before. Gaara can be, um, a ‘handful’ sometimes, but not too much has changed.” Lee peered down at Shikamaru quizzically, stuffing his hands in his pockets to warm them. “Why do you ask?”

“Just curious.” Shikamaru took a final drag of his cigarette, wrinkling his nose when he tasted tar on it. He shifted his gaze back to Gaara and Temari before stubbing his cigarette on the heel of his shoe. Too many times Temari had scolded him for littering. “Gaara’s a big shift from Sakura. I wonder what she’ll say when she finds out you’re with him now.”

“I had not thought about it too much,” Lee lied obviously, scuffing his shoes on the pavement. He shrugged and glanced at the other man. “She will be very surprised I am sure. I do not think she and Gaara got along very well. I do not think she will be too disappointed, though, since she never seemed to return my feelings.”

“Well, you look happier with Gaara anyway.” Shikamaru said, eyes still on the siblings as Temari finished talking to Gaara with a quick hug. She made her way back to them just as Kiba and Sari arrived.

“Sasori assures me that the barriers will hold on the way to the mall. There are a few roads with pile-ups. Be careful if you decide to go off-road.” Temari said as Ebisu arrived as well and took the helm of the van. The former concierge cringed when Sari cracked her knuckles behind him, hinting at a past payback for all the perverted things he’d done.

Udon was the last to go with Moegi still slipping a snack and his allergy pills in his backpack. “Say hello to Konohamaru for me.” She smiled at him.

“I’ll bring him here safely, Moegi.” Udon promised, pressing a tissue to his nose while waving at his friend.

Eager, Lee was the first person to climb into the truck, followed by Udon. He sat his pack on the floor beneath the seat and grinned at the teenager. “Are you ready for this? Konohamaru is going to be surprised to see you again like this.”

Udon sniffled, but smiled at Lee. “Yes. He’ll never think we’re arriving in a truck, or that there’s so many people here. I’m sure he’s missed us.”

Baki climbed into the driver’s seat, glancing back at Lee and Udon briefly. He started the vehicle with a low thrum of the engine. Across the basement, an echo seemed to sound as the van started.

Gaara climbed into the truck last after a final glare at Shikamaru. He’d deal with the man when they returned from the mall. “Keep close to the van.” He called to Baki as he took a seat near the back and set down the long pole with a carving knife fixed at the end.

By the time they were on the road, it started to feel like they were on a grisly city tour of the dead. They’d had to pass through streets full of bodies, both truly dead and still dragging themselves to the sound of the cars. Baki was a careful driver as he maneuvered past the shuffling bodies, but it was impossible not to hit those that got too close. Getting to the mall through the main streets meant they had to take a longer route, this time unable to take the shortcuts they’d used before.

“Another dead end.” Baki called back as he waited for Ebisu to backup and turn around. In front was a pile-up of wrecked cars, burnt bodies and metal everywhere like an explosion had caused it. Gaara’s lips were pressed tight as he and Udon pushed away hands that were trying to reach through the slates of the truck.

“The mall’s only a street away. Ebisu will have to go around.” The redhead said, jabbing the blunt end of his pole through one of the slates.

“We are almost there. It will be faster on the way back, since we will know the route.” Lee had a map out and was marking down where the streets were blocked and looking for alternative directions. The sheer amount of death and damage to the city that they’d passed was making him sick, but it wasn’t unexpected. Lee glanced through one of the slates to see the tail end of the van as Baki put the car into reverse. The truck lifted and fell sharply with a sick thump as a zombie was caught under a back wheel, but there was nothing they could do about it.

They followed the van around the block and onto the next street, where they were forced to swerve precariously through a narrow section to get past the abandoned cars. The dead that could still use their legs were shambling into the middle of the road to reach the car, getting in the way or caught under a wheel. Baki’s face was a mask of concentration as he pushed through. A woman with a dislocated jaw and blood in her hair tried crawling onto the truck hood, but Baki hit the breaks to knock her off and then ran over her head with a disgusting snapping and crunching noise.

Lee felt his chest seize up with relief and anticipation when they could finally see the mall. Ebisu parked on one side, and Baki drove to the other to separate the crowd of shamblers.

The fenced area of the loading bay had a new ditch that was filled with sand and bodies. While it must have added security, the ditch made it impossible for the vehicles to get into the bay. It looked like the sandstorm that had swept through Suna had also deposited a lot of debris around it. There was no sign of anyone from outside, but there was a distant barking coming from inside the mall.

“I’m heading out.” Gaara said, taking up his crossbow and handing Udon the pole “Udon, make sure no zombie gets inside the truck. Lee, you’re with me.”

The van doors were already open with Kiba making quick work of the zombies that had followed after them using knives in each hand. Sari covered his back, looking less enthusiastic about killing zombies now that she was in the fray. Pushing one of the truck’s doors out, Gaara fired his crossbow at the first zombie who tried to enter the truck and leaped out.

The back door inside the fence flung open with Ino spotting Kiba and Gaara. She gave a happy shriek before calling back behind her and rushing to the fence. Konohamaru and a large white dog followed after her as they worked to pull the fence open.

Lee leaped out after Gaara, swinging his spiked bat around to crush through the head of a zombie man who appeared from around the other side of the car. He shut the door quickly behind him to keep Udon from being exposed. It seemed that Baki was going to stay with Udon and the truck until they talked to the people inside and had a pathway open, and possibly a better place to move the vehicle.

“This way!” Lee called out, waving at Sari and Kiba. The pair dashed toward them, knocking zombies out of the way. The fury in Kiba’s moves as he stabbed skull after skull of the living dead seemed to brighten as he heard Akamaru barking for him. The huge white dog ran ahead of Konohamaru, leaping to Kiba’s side and helping him knock zombies away without hesitation. “Good boy! Let’s go!” Kiba exclaimed. Sari’s eyes were wide from the bloodspatter all around her, and in surprise at the sudden appearance of Akamaru.

When everyone was finally inside the gate and it was pushed closed again, Lee was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. A crawler with a leg broken in several places had gotten inside the gate, but they’d already taken care of it and left it off to the side. Lee set down his bat and turned to greet Ino and the others. Before he could even get a word out, he stumbled backward as a mess of pink hair leaped onto him, clutching at his shoulders with an excited “Lee!” in greeting.

“I was so worried!” Sakura exclaimed, smiling up at him and clutching his shoulders tighter. “You never sent word back!”

Akamaru was barking and yipping as if he were a pup again, leaping up to lick at Kiba’s face in vain. Kiba was laughing and trying to avoid his dog’s tongue. “Down boy! You’re gonna lick zombie bits if you keep that up!”

Once the gate was secured, Konohamaru spotted Udon waving at him from the passenger seat, his friend having moved beside Baki to see what was going on inside the loading bay. “I thought you wouldn’t come back, but I guess Naruto was right.” He said, waving back before turning to Gaara.

The redhead wasn’t even looking at Konohamaru. He was scowling at Sakura and Lee, the crossbow still clutched tight in his hands.

“I’ll tell Naruto you’re back.” Ino said brightly before hurrying inside the mall.

“H-hello,” Lee said, smiling at Sakura’s enthusiastic greeting. He returned her hug briefly and pulled back, his hands on her arms. “I am sorry that I did not contact you. We did not have radio access, and there was too much else to do until now.”

“Can we go inside, please?” Sari spoke up, looking incredibly uncomfortable as she watched the few left over zombies on the other side of the fence, all moaning and shambling toward them.

“This way,” Konohamaru said, gesturing toward the door and leading the other youth inside. Kiba followed after, still exchanging attention with Akamaru and laughing. Sakura let go of Lee and seemed to collect herself in comparison to her welcome, though she still smiled at him over her shoulder as she stepped back inside.

Gaara lowered his crossbow and followed after everyone heading inside, the scowl on his face easing up but a troubled look replacing it. He hadn’t thought about how Lee and Sakura would act around each other; hadn’t considered it because the mission always took the forefront of his mind. Now that they were here, however, it bothered him more than he liked to admit.

“What’s been happening here in the mall?” Gaara asked sharply, his frustration coming out in his voice as he asked the pink-haired woman in front of him.

“We’ve been doing well, surprisingly. It was a good move to save the generators for winter. It’s still freezing at night, but we have working heaters.” Sakura replied, shaking her head at the familiar way the redhead spoke.

Kiba scratched behind Akamaru’s ears as they went up the back stairs to reach the mall’s atrium. “We saw some areas that looked fucking burnt. Has Deidara been experimenting with explosions?”

“A little, yes,” she said. “He’s gone out a couple times and experimented in places where the zombie population was highly concentrated. He wiped out a lot of them, and at the same time he’s been getting better at focusing the destruction. If something happened and we had to flee, he would be able to detonate some distractions, clear a path, and also take out anything following us.”

Lee glanced at Gaara as they walked, finally noticing his boyfriend’s scowl and the sharp tone of his voice. He chalked it up to focus on their mission for now, and refocused on what Sakura was saying. “Is everyone here right now? We need to talk to everyone as soon as possible.”

“Yeah, everyone should be-”

“Gaara! Kiba! Lee! New girl!” Naruto exclaimed just as the group reached the atrium. He trotted up to them with a massive grin on his face, with Ino half a step behind him. “I almost didn’t believe it! About fucking time you got here!”

“Naruto, pack up everything. We’re taking you to the hotel.” Gaara interrupted before anyone could speak again, striding up to the blond man. “We have a truck and a van waiting outside. How soon can you get everyone to the loading bay?”

“Geez Gaara, glad to see you too.” Naruto shook his head but didn’t lose the grin on his face. “What the hell do you mean just pack up? We’d love to get out of this dump, but we’re nowhere near prepared to just up and go.”

“Then get to it. We have three people still outside the fence, including Udon, who are waiting for you to start moving.” Gaara frowned, looking around the atrium and noticing just how much had changed. There were more couches and tables there, and there were even a couple of reclining chairs on one side. The people at the mall had grown cozy.

“I found my sister at the hotel. She’s offering a place for everyone to stay at.” He said. “They have trucks there that can take you to Konoha.”

“Really?” Naruto’s eyes narrowed into fox like slits as he thought about that, his face uncharacteristically serious for a moment. He spotted Choji and Sai as they appeared on the other side of the atrium and waved them over. “Alright, guys! We’ve got our ticket out! Grab your essentials and get ready to make a mad dash to the trucks! We’re going to the hotel!”

“I will explain,” Lee said, stepping up to the two men and putting a hand on their shoulders. “And I will help you pack at the same time! We cannot afford to wait!”

“Good to see you, Lee. Is Shikamaru with you?” Choji asked, following Lee’s lead toward the wing he’d been sleeping in.

“I am afraid he stayed behind at the hotel to help look after everyone. The faster you pack, the faster we will be able to see him again, though!”

“I’ll start grabbing resources that’ll fit in the truck,” Kiba spoke up, glancing at the stores around them in assessment.

Sari still looked shaken from her recent encounter with the undead, but she was already bouncing on her heels beside Konohamaru. “Sari and I will find everyone,” the younger boy said. “We can do it faster than any of you.”

“Heh, I’d make a bet against that, cocky brat. Good to meet you, Sari. Don’t let that kid boss you around.” Naruto grinned as the girl smiled back and followed after Konohamaru’s retreating back.

With Lee helping Choji and Sai gather together everything useful they had at the mall; Kiba joining in to grab an assortment of clothes, batteries, flashlights, food crates, and other things; and Sakura dashing off to pack the medicine, tools and books from her clinic, Gaara spoke to Naruto in a quiet voice before the man could join the mass evacuation.

“Naruto, there are two people at the hotel that are dangerous. Their names are Sasori and Zetsu.” Gaara said. “Keep an eye on them and their relations with those you’re leading here.”

Naruto nodded seriously, recognizing the tone in Gaara’s voice. He put an arm around Gaara’s shoulder and started walking toward the place he’d been sleeping so he could quickly gather his things as well. “Well, there’s bound to be a couple bad apples in every bunch. Deidara’s been getting pretty manic lately. Everyone’s either pissed off at him or scared of him after all the explosions he set off without warning us first. Hidan’s been hiding by himself a lot, too, and every time we try talking to him all he does is scream or cuss at us about converting.”

The redhead tensed at the arm around his shoulder, ducking out of it as they moved to Naruto’s wing. Naruto and he had started to become friends before he left the mall, but Gaara didn’t like the overfamiliar contact. “I’ll let Temari know about them.” He said, frowning slightly at the news. Even if he’d expected something like this to happen out of human nature, he’d rather have people act on whatever goodness Lee saw in them.

Naruto just laughed at the way Gaara ducked away from his arm, rolling his eyes at the redhead for his characteristic inability to be touched. “So, you said there are trucks that can take us to Konoha? How many are there?”

“Three including the one we brought with us. There are two more parked in the basement of the hotel, but they need gas for a trip that far.” Gaara replied, looking over his shoulder. There was a prickling feeling across his skin as Naruto hauled all he owned in a duffel bag and stuffed his police baton in his belt holster. This place was the second home he’d had since the outbreak, the place he’d met so many new friends and lost one of his best.

“That’s more than I expected. You’re a fucking lifesaver, Gaara. Even if you forgot to bring me back something cool.” Naruto grinned as he slung the duffel bag over his shoulder and carried another bag of his personal things. “To tell you the truth, the generators wouldn’t have lasted all winter. Alright! Let’s get this show on the road!”

Naruto’s enthusiasm was hard to resist, and Gaara felt his lips twitching up as they hurried to the loading bay. Being around Naruto again reminded him of the budding friendship they had between them, and that dream of rebuilding human civilization didn’t seem so far off any longer.

* * *

“This is a pretty good setup Moegi’s established.” Sakura praised with a smile as she bustled around the conference room/clinic area with her own set of medicines and instruments in hand. She finally had some time to unpack her medical equipment after meeting Gaara’s sister and a few people staying at the hotel. Lee, as expected, had been willing to help.

“And don’t think I’ve forgotten about the wound Moegi said you had. I want to look at her work after I finish unpacking everything.” She continued, humming a faint tune afterwards as she hauled out everyone’s health files she’d recorded over the months.

“I thought you would want to see for yourself,” Lee said, grinning at Sakura from the doorway of the makeshift clinic as she unpacked her things. “Moegi did a really good job. She got really mad at me when I tried working out too soon, but she made sure everything turned out okay.”

After they’d reached the hotel safely, most of the people from the mall had split up to explore and meet the other survivors in the hotel. Lee had offered to show Sakura around, but of course seeing Moegi’s clinic was the only thing on her mind. “Do you like your room, by the way?”

“Yes, it’s really nice and Sasori said he can have all the rooms cleaned if we wanted.” Sakura replied while carefully arranging bottles of antibiotics and general health boosters on the table. Her hair had grown out during the last few months, revealing that her natural hair color was closer to copper red with lighter highlights. “And Moegi was right to chew you out! Muscle damage from a bullet takes a long time to heal.”

Looking over at Lee, she pointed at a stack of boxes from the mall. “Could you bring those over here? But be careful. The one on top’s the heaviest since it’s got antiseptics and blood packets.”

It was easier to focus on these little things than to let Lee bring up conversation. In all honesty, seeing Lee again had been a shock for her, and while she was glad to see him alive and well, she realized she hadn’t even thought much of him during the long months of waiting out the winter.

“Sure.” Lee easily lifted the boxes she was talking about, moving them as instructed. Lee was really happy to be talking to Sakura again. He’d honestly been a little worried that he would never see her again. Even now that he and Gaara had become an item, Lee still had fond feelings for the girl, even if it was only admiration of her character or friendship.

“A lot of things have changed since we first found the hotel,” Lee said as he lifted the last box in the pile and moved it to the other side of the room. He smiled at Sakura, admiring the dedication with which she worked. “Everyone has new friends, responsibilities, and lots of new resources, too. I, um, I have even become romantic with someone since I moved here.” Lee’s ears became warm, but he needed to get this out in the open.

Sakura’s eyes widened and she glanced at him sharply in surprise. “Really? With who?” She asked. Her heartbeat sounded loud in her ears and it felt like the proverbial rug had been pulled out from under her. She’d been so worried about what to say to Lee since they left the mall, when there didn’t seem to be any need for it after all! Why wasn’t she that happy about that? Lips pursing slightly, she pulled up two chairs close to the table and shook her head. “It’s Temari isn’t it? I saw the way she looked at you when we arrived.”

Sitting on one of the chairs with a heavy sigh, she brushed back her hair and tied it with an elastic band, nodding at the man. “Come here. I’ll check that wound of yours.”

Lee took a seat, eyes wide at the sharp look she gave him in reaction. He rolled up his sleeve showing off his newest scar for her to see. It looked pink and fairly new, like it had just finished healing. “Temari gave me a look? Are you sure she was not glaring at me? She seems to do that a lot.”

Lee cleared his throat awkwardly. “Um, actually, it is Gaara who has become my special person. He is my boyfriend now. We have been together for some weeks, I think. It is hard to keep track of time.”

“What?” Sakura’s hands were already on Lee’s arm, squeezing involuntarily when he announced he was with Gaara. With _Gaara_! She eased up her hold immediately, eyes wide and brows furrowed. “You’re gay?! After everything you said to me, you ended up with _Gaara_?”

It wasn’t even because Lee was with another man that was the problem. ...Well, Sakura didn’t know what the problem was other than that he’d somehow traded her for a murderer who killed his friend! She clasped a hand to her mouth when she realized she’d said that out loud.

Lee’s surprise at Sakura’s reactions turned to hurt in a heartbeat. He put a hand over his arm where she’d squeezed and furrowed his brows, his lips wilting unhappily. “I... I know it is unexpected. It n-never really occurred to me until Gaara brought it up, but... it feels right. We never stopped being friends. I am sorry.”

Lee didn’t know what he was apologizing for. Sakura had never shown interest in him before, so what did it matter that he’d found someone else? Even Gaara. Lee stood and rolled his sleeve back down. “Um, I need to go check on the others and make sure everything got offloaded from the trucks. I will see you later, Sakura.” Lee started toward the door, his neck too hot.

Sakura frowned at Lee’s retreating back, her thoughts in a jumble over this new development and Lee himself. This wasn’t the same person she’d known back at the mall. Lee never just left things hanging like he was about to now; he had been determined and stubborn to prove even just a single point. What had Gaara done to him?

“Wait. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” She called to him, trying to control her temper. She sat back against her seat with a hand pressed to her temple. “Please Lee. Sit down with me.”

Lee hesitated in the doorway, unsure. He finally sighed and turned back, slowly taking his seat across from Sakura. He pulled his sleeve back up, looking down. “I really do need to check on the others. It can wait a little while, though.”

Glancing at Sakura from the corner of his eye, Lee was still frowning unhappily. “Gaara is a good man, Sakura. He confessed to me first. He may seem cold sometimes, but he really cares about me.”

“How...How did you end up together?” Sakura couldn’t help the wrinkle on the bridge of her nose at the thought of Gaara and Lee together. She couldn’t imagine what affections could ever develop between them. “I’m sorry, I really can’t picture Gaara doing anything other than killing zombies. And I always thought...well, that you liked me- that you liked women.”

She reached for a small container of creams she’d brought with her, keeping her eyes on that instead of on Lee. When she found the scar cream, she held it out for the man to take. “Here, this should help with the healing. Moegi did a good job, but you should put this on before the skin starts to harden.”

“Thanks,” Lee said, taking the cream and looking it over in his hands. He swallowed awkwardly. “I do like women. And you. But I guess what I felt for you became more... admiration and respect than love. Gaara and I have always been together. When he first confessed to me, I told him that I did not feel the same way because I am not gay, but... the more I thought about it the more I realized I cared about him.

“After everything we have gone through, especially with Tenten... it is not easy, but he has always done what he thought was right. And I think that Tenten would have called us cute.” Lee blushed a little, but he really could see his old friend saying something like that.

The blush on Lee's face spoke louder than the words he was saying. Sakura blinked at that and brushed a lock of hair from her face with a slow exhale. “She _would_ have said that.” Her eyes grew sad with the memory of the woman. “Tenten was my friend too. We were the only girls at the mall together with Ino and Hinata, so we ended up bonding with each other. I guess it’s just hard for me to accept that you’re with the one who shot her.”

She placed a hand on Lee’s forearm, gently this time, and tried to catch his eye. “I know I never gave you a straight answer, but I did care about you. I still do.” She swallowed, finding an uneasy feeling in her stomach as she spoke. “Maybe it’s not romantic love, but you’re just as important to me as Naruto or anyone else in our group.”

“Thank you, Sakura.” Lee’s smile finally came back as he glanced at his friend. “That does mean a lot to me. I almost want to say that I wish things had worked out the way I first wanted with you, but I think this is best for both of us. And as for Tenten...”

Lee took a deep breath and let it out heavily as he put one of his hands over Sakura’s and squeezed fondly. “I am still unhappy with what happened, too. But I am more upset that she is gone at all, that she got bitten, than how she died anymore. There is nothing we can do to change it, and Gaara cared about her, too.”

What Lee didn’t mention was what had happened to Kankuro as well. After seeing Gaara miserable and broken over his brother’s rotten body, after having given Kankuro the final killing blow, Lee was able to see Gaara’s feelings from a new perspective. If Gaara put his brother to rest because he loved Kankuro- if he could do that to someone who was family- then he must have truly shot Tenten for the same reasons. It was easier to accept now.

Sakura felt a prickling sensation on the back of her eyes. The conviction in Lee’s face about forgiving and moving on hurt her to see. And maybe there was a part of her that wished he would still pursue her, just a small, selfish desire for something to go back to the way it was and make sense, when things kept changing too fast. But she couldn’t hold this against him when Lee looked like this.

“You’re a good friend, Lee.” She said with a faint smile before it softened. “If you’re sure about Gaara, then I’m happy for you. Just be careful with him, okay? Don’t lose sight of what you believe in even if his reasons are good.”

“Thank you,” Lee said again. He patted Sakura’s hand and tucked the scar cream into his pocket. 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is **NSFW**.

For once, it was a warm night in Suna, a sure sign that winter was on a decline. There was no wind on the hotel rooftop where Gaara and Lee lay, and the sky was partly cloudy above their heads. The moon was almost full, with just a sliver missing from the bright gleam. The stars above were so thick and bright that everything around was clearly illuminated, almost as if the sun were still on the horizon.

“Thank you for coming up here with me,” Lee murmured, his usually loud and boisterous voice was toned down in awe of the sky, which was clearer than he’d ever seen it before. Most all of the lights in the city had shut off after the epidemic, reducing the electric pollution that usually dimmed the stars or moon. Lee tucked their blanket tighter around the edge of his legs, and slid closer to Gaara.

Gaara’s breath was loud in the silence, and it was easy to tell the faint hitches in it whenever Lee moved closer or brushed his hand against the redhead’s. Gaara bent his legs at the knees slightly, feeling their pooling warmth under the blanket. “...Mm.” He murmured, craning his head a little to look at the other man. The stars were a familiar sight for him, especially back when he used to go to the roof of his home to think. Lee’s face was much more interesting to look at, and he found himself speaking quietly to fill the silence.

“When my mother was still alive, she told me that Suna used to be a great city of warriors. This was back when people still fought over land and power. One of Suna’s oldest sayings came from that tradition, about putting everything on the line for honor and family.” He blinked back up at the sky, wondering why he remembered that when it was almost a decade since it was said. He raised a hand and pointed at a collection of stars, searching for constellations he hadn’t bothered to look at anymore with the work he did. “...Suna’s best warriors were said to watch over the city even today.”

“Wow,” Lee murmured in a hushed voice. He’d always been a sucker for stories about honor, battle, and warriors who had something to fight for. His eyes were bright with admiration and there was a touch of a smile on his face. Lee glanced over at Gaara, and blinked as he realized that the redhead was staring at him. He rolled onto his side toward the other man and an edge of his mouth pulled up. He rested one of his hands on Gaara’s waist. “What are you looking at? I wanted you to see the stars with me.”

A heavier breath went past Gaara's lips at the contact, but he kept his eyes on the other man's. It felt like even his face and ears had a blanket covering them with the heat building up. "I am with you. I like looking at you." He said factually despite the slight lidding of his eyes.

They'd been together for a while now, but he still hadn't gotten used to the sudden flashes of attraction whenever Lee would turn to him and grin, or when the other man would casually reach out to touch him. It was all the more harder to get used to since they still hadn't done anything other than light explorations of each other's body. He moved his hand to press a finger between Lee's brows, tracing the thick contours of his friend's face.

"You're the only man I know with thick eyebrows and lashes, and eyes this round. Your lips are curved like a turtle's but soft." His lips quirked up faintly, finding his own observations amusing. He never really paid much attention to people's features aside from making sure he could identify them, except Lee's were just too striking to ignore. "The stars are no competition.”

The smile on Lee’s face slowly widened and he felt his cheeks grow pink at Gaara’s praise and attention. Something fluttering and warm bloomed in his chest in response to the affectionate way Gaara lightly touched his face. “I thought I was supposed to be the romantic one,” Lee said, the stars forgotten as his hand on Gaara’s waist tightened, pulling them closer together under the blankets. “I have been trying to write a haiku for you, but they never turn out very good. Yet you seem to be able to say poetic things on the spot.”

Lee leaned closer, until he could feel the heat from Gaara’s face against his. Their noses brushed in the mildly ringing silence of the rooftop. “Can I kiss you?” Lee murmured, eyes already sliding closed.

For a moment, Gaara just watched Lee’s face grow closer, his mouth parting slightly in response. It didn’t take long before he was meeting Lee’s lips with his own, answering his question firmly. He pulled back and kissed him again, planting short, darting kisses that he’d found out early on would give him glimpses of Lee’s expressions. While he enjoyed fighting alongside Lee, working on plans with him, and doing runs with him, this was nice too.

Lee returned each kiss that Gaara gave him, peeking through his lashes at the other man. Gaara always seemed to keep his eyes open when it came to this, watching him. Lee liked to close his usually though, since it helped him focus on other things, like the sound of Gaara’s breathing or the warmth sheltered between them under the blankets. It felt nice. Lee ducked away from Gaara’s lips to kiss under his jaw instead. He pulled his top arm under the blankets, and his hand slid under Gaara’s shirt to touch his bare back.

Their chests brushed at the proximity. Lee still occasionally thought it was odd not to find breasts there, but he was finally getting used to it. And even though they were both men, that didn’t mean that certain places on their chests couldn’t be sensitive. With that thought in mind, Lee ducked lower and kissed along Gaara’s throat, his collar bone, and along the curve of his shirt’s hemline. His hand on Gaara’s back drew circles across the skin with his fingertips.

Lee’s hands on his back elicited a shiver and his chest arched forward involuntarily at the light sensation. Gaara drew in air in steady breaths as Lee continued to kiss down his jaw and shirt, slipping an arm around Lee’s torso as well and running his thumb against the ticklish side of it. The gentle strokes made him squirm and flex his toes. It was easier to withstand the fierce, passionate movements they exchanged after sparring compared to this slow burn.

His hands found Lee’s shoulders and he grasped them before tucking his head down, looking at the top of the man’s head and feeling his black strands brushing against his face. “Lee,” he breathed out, his pulse pounding in his ears.

Lee smiled against Gaara’s skin, pleased by the sound of his name when Gaara spoke like that. He was starting to get to know this side of Gaara better- the side that wasn’t all fighting and survival and cold heartbreak. This side of Gaara was more tender and affectionate, only came out when they were alone, and seem to have wonderful reactions when Lee took the initiative to touch him gently. The passion and challenges they sometimes shared after an intense sparring match was always great, too, and brought out _Lee_ ’s other side, but this moment... was much more beautiful to bask in.

“I love you, Gaara,” Lee murmured, dragging the edge of the redhead’s neckline lower with the tip of his nose and continuing to kiss whatever skin he could reach. “I really enjoy being with you. If this really is the end of the world, I am glad that I can spend it with you.”

Gaara held his breath. How could Lee just declare his feelings so openly with the most dramatic of words? He still couldn’t understand the ease his friend found in telling him that, and the certainty he had of it. Some words carried too much weight and obligations to be spoken lightly, and even then, words were empty without action.

Slipping an arm around Lee’s head and pressing his face against the shiny black hair, Gaara exhaled and shut his eyes, letting the other man fill his sense of smell and touch. It was almost like the walking corpses filling the streets below didn’t exist when they were this high up with a clear night sky above them. “I don’t think there are stars at the end of the world.” He said softly, “Just darkness. And solitude.”

Gaara’s lips pulled up into a small smile, not that much bigger than the usual faint quirks but without the dryness in them. Lee was rubbing off on him. He shifted when Lee’s lips reached the hard curves of his chest, his breath growing thick with desire. “...If you keep that up, we’re not going to stop at kisses.”

Lee hummed in reply, dragging his lips back up Gaara’s throat and jaw. He kissed the edge of the other man’s mouth softly. “Maybe I do not want to stop, this time,” Lee murmured. His lips moved against Gaara’s cheek, his temple, and pressed against the edge of his mouth again.

Lee’s hands around Gaara’s back drew him firmly closer, clutching him like a prolonged hug. He’d been growing more comfortable with Gaara lately. Kissing was starting to feel easy and natural, and touching... was certainly getting there as well.

Gaara uttered a small grunt in reply, skin tingling from the light brush of Lee’s lips all over his face and neck. He had to give credit to the other man- Lee knew by now what actions overwhelmed him and rendered him unable to do anything but take the gentle attention. His eyes opened into slivers of dark green, his face looking a little strained at the control he tried to keep on his reactions. “Lee.” He repeated, blood rushing up his neck.

Slipping a hand through the man’s hair, he grasped a handful and tugged lightly on them, trying to pull Lee’s mouth away from his face so he could get some reprieve. Everywhere Lee had kissed and touched felt hypersensitive, and the unfamiliar sensation was whittling away his tight hold on himself. His heels dug against the covers they’d laid under them, fully aware that he was now squirming against the other man.

“Gaara,” Lee murmured in reply, his voice low and teasing. He grinned at the other man, despite the way Gaara held him back from kissing him further. He chuckled at the way Gaara squirmed, and dragged the back of his knuckles gently along the side of the redhead’s face, tracing the edge of the dark rings around his eyes and curving under his jaw. He hooked their ankles together, to feel the other man’s body from head to toe. “Do you not want to touch me, too?”

A narrowed gaze met Lee’s as Gaara’s breath quickened, face flushing as Lee’s knuckles brushed over the edge of it. It was hard to believe that the same man had frozen at the slightest hint of anything physical between them just a month ago. His fingers moved down Lee’s hair to grasp his neck, this time to bring their mouths together in a messy kiss. Gaara could care less about the sloppiness when he could taste Lee in his mouth and on his tongue, his other hand wrapping around the man’s back and digging against it. Their hooked ankles only brought a delicious friction between their groins.

Lee made a small noise at the way Gaara handled him, but didn’t protest. He slid his hands under Gaara’s shirt, dragging his fingers down the man’s sides. Lee leaned over Gaara, moving his head as they kissed the way Gaara’s grip pushed or pulled. He shifted and gasped softly as Gaara’s body still squirmed against his. Lee grasped the edge of Gaara’s shirt and tugged gently.

The grip on his shirt brought a spark of anticipation in his gut. Gaara arched his lower back to help Lee along, but he didn't let up on his own grasp around the man's back. His teeth clicked against Lee's as he tilted his head to the side. All the teasing and infuriatingly innocent moments between them only built up the fire in him. If this was Lee’s way of lowering down his inhibitions, it was working. His feet planted firmly on the ground and he rolled his hips up, forward and back with the growing bulge on the front of his pants.

The hand on Lee’s back moved lower, fingers slipping under the hem of Lee’s pants to gently squeeze the curved flesh there.

Lee gasped and shuddered, pressing down on top of Gaara to help control the rolling and rocking of his hips into sync with his own. He moved his mouth away from Gaara’s abruptly, dizzy. He pulled Gaara’s shirt over his head and let it hang off one arm. Lee pressed forward, feeling something coil in his stomach at the way Gaara’s hands wandered.

If he paid attention, Lee could feel... just below their hips, he could feel something hard and urgent pressing back against him. His cheeks warmed, but his curiosity grew, too. He slid his thigh higher between Gaara’s legs, purposefully putting pressure and dragging friction across Gaara’s groin.

The motion drew a low moan, shocking Gaara with its volume. He clenched his teeth, eyes falling shut again as he found a rhythm of rubbing and pressing against Lee's thigh.

With his shirt off his body, Gaara could feel the fabric of Lee's clothes against his skin and it added to the sensations coursing between his legs. "Lee," he hissed, ending with another moan. "Don't...haa...don't make me come in my pants."

Lee’s face flushed, worse than the pink that had already tinged his cheeks. He panted, feeling a rush of something delicious- hormones, affection, pride- in his limbs down to his fingers and toes at the sound of Gaara’s voice. Lee swallowed thickly and shuddered as he moved the same way, completely deliberately. A small voice in the back of his mind was telling him that he should have been scared off by now from doing this with another man, but that voice was easily ignored when Lee pressed his own bulge down against the juncture of Gaara’s hip. Pleasure, coiling warm and tight in his body, swirled.

“M-maybe,” Lee murmured against Gaara’s ear, sliding a hand down to the redhead’s thigh and gripping it tight around his. “You should take them off.”

Gaara heard every thump of his heartbeat ringing in his ears, so loud that he wondered if he heard Lee right. His eyes flew open, staring at Lee with dilated eyes and lips heavy and puffed from their kisses. “Don’t take that back.” He finally whispered, suddenly moving his hands to Lee’s chest and gripping the thin collar of his shirt. Amidst the pleasure and excitement of finally moving forward, he searched Lee’s eyes for any doubts but only found curiosity and warmth. _Finally_.

Licking his dry lips, his hands let go of Lee’s shirt and slid down his chest slowly, feeling the hard muscle and faint ridges of his ribs until they went below his stomach. His hands only lingered over Lee’s groin briefly before moving to unbutton his own pants.

Lee swallowed, nerves added suddenly to the mix of crazy emotions and sensations, but he held steady. He lifted himself enough to give Gaara room to move beneath him, and his breath caught as he dragged a hand along Gaara’s bared chest and abs. He shuddered again when Gaara’s pants were open, but looked down curiously.

Lee hadn’t really thought too much about what to expect, but Gaara’s groin was similar to his. Lee licked his lips self consciously as his eyes widened. Gaara was almost completely hard, the head swollen red. Lee slid his hand down Gaara’s abs and slowly wrapped his fingers around it, more curious and feeling than to stimulate. Something small and red caught the corner of his eye.

“Your tattoo looks good,” Lee murmured as he squeezed lightly and felt his fingers down the length. “What does it mean?”

Kicking off his pants and the rest of the blanket, Gaara’s toes curled abruptly and he gasped at the warm fingers wrapping around his shaft. Alright, Lee was much more comfortable than he thought he’d be. Lying back against the covers and propping his upper body with his elbows, he looked down at Lee’s tanned hand with lidded eyes. He hadn’t forgotten Lee’s fascination with his tattoo way back then, but it was easier to answer his questions now that they were at this stage.

“...It means love.” He said, lifting his hips a little to encourage the contact. “I got it in high school when I thought no one would love me and I could only love myself.”

Lee’s breath caught at the way Gaara moved, reminding him that there was a purpose to exploring aside from his curiosity. Lee dragged his fingers up, and then back down. He paused to tear the knot from his arm bandages out from his palm and quickly unravel it. He brought his hand back, touching the tip curiously under his thumb. It felt different than the rest of the shaft.

“You keep mentioning that you didn’t have a very nice childhood,” Lee murmured.

One of Gaara’s eyes shut tight when Lee’s hand began to move, his gaze lifting to Lee’s face. “I won’t...be hard...for long if-nn...-if I talk about that.” Even with what he said, the sudden shift from a bandaged hand to skin against skin had his dick twitching in Lee’s hold. Knees lifting slightly off the floor, Gaara gripped the covers under him while the other man touched the sensitive red tip of his cock. He let out a deep breath then moved his hand over Lee’s, guiding the man’s calloused fingers to wrap around the head and squeeze tighter.

Lee swallowed and nodded, focusing on the task in hand. He glanced up at Gaara’s face, and decided that he must be doing _something_ right if the redhead’s expression was anything to go by. Lee knew how the male body worked, even if he hadn’t done this to another man before. He squeezed as Gaara’s grip guided and stroked. He’d done this to himself- he knew what to do.

Lee ducked lower and kissed Gaara’s shoulder to distract himself, just in case his usual nerves decided to catch up with him. He dragged his lips softly against Gaara’s skin, and found a place to suck tightly, returning the favor for the hickey Gaara had given him earlier.

It had been too long since Gaara had someone to do this with him. Splayed out on the roof like this, he was dimly aware that anyone could just come up here and see both of them, see his naked body handled by a fully-clothed Lee. His cock pulsed in response to his thoughts and he let out a quiet groan when the thick pad of Lee’s thumb brushed over the slit at the head. Lee’s mouth was warm against his shoulder, faint shivers running down his back from the suction there.

The continuous squeezing and stroking and rubbing brought a slow pressure that pulsed at the base of his cock. His breath was growing ragged as pleasure, hot and potent, had his hips thrusting up in time with the strokes.

Something primal and pleased caught in Lee’s chest as Gaara groaned softly and moved. Lee stroked faster, more confidently in response. His lips dragged up Gaara’s neck, cheek, and touched his lips against Gaara’s mouth softly. He murmured, “Gaara....” and rubbed his thumb over the tip.

Gaara couldn’t return Lee’s kiss with his thumb rubbing over the head of his cock like that. He shut both eyes instead, face scrunching as if in concentration, while his hips continued to move with Lee’s hand. All that they’d done earlier was foreplay, whether Lee had been conscious of it or not, and Gaara felt his climax approaching rapidly with each quickening stroke.

Suddenly pushing his hands against Lee’s chest, Gaara only had time to sit up and brace his trembling thighs against the covers before he was coming in Lee’s hand, his cock pulsing as he gasped Lee’s name.

Lee’s eyes widened and he let go, blinking down at the mess on his hand. He gripped his other hand on Gaara’s shoulder as the redhead braced against him, holding Gaara through his orgasm. He could still hear Gaara’s voice saying his name, ringing like a whisper in his ears. Lee leaned forward and kissed Gaara’s cheek, then pulled back quickly.

“You okay, Gaara?” Lee asked quietly.

Eyes still shut tight, Gaara just nodded as he caught his breath and let the heat in his body retreat into a warm hum rushing from his head to his toes. His orgasm left him light-headed and boneless. And just like that, the tension on his face abated and he relaxed against Lee. Resting his chin on the man’s shoulder, he whispered, low and still breathless from his orgasm, “...I want to make you come too.”

Lee wrapped his arm around Gaara’s back and wiped his dirty hand on the edge of the blanket. He felt a rush of satisfaction in the bonelessness he felt in Gaara’s body. “Um, okay,” Lee said, feeling a tad awkward on top of everything else now that Gaara had gotten off. He hesitated, then slipped a hand down to unbutton his pants. He kissed Gaara’s cheek again.

The sound of Lee’s pants unbuttoning had Gaara’s eyes opening into mere slits, the green of his pupils dark and unfocused with pleasure. Turning his head to the side, he pressed his lips against Lee’s neck in silent gratitude for finally touching him the way he wanted to be, and letting him do this. The redhead had nothing stopping him now, and he slipped his hand under Lee’s shirt to teasingly rub a nipple before following the trail between Lee’s chest with his thumb all the way down, circling around his navel and continuing the path of dark pubic hair.

“Let me.” He said, voice thick with passion and intent. He gripped Lee’s pants with his other hand and yanked the fabric on one leg until his hand could slip past it and Lee’s underwear underneath. Lee’s boxerbriefs made his lips quirk up when he saw them, but he wasted no time in cupping his hand over the hardness under it and the soft sac of Lee’s balls.

Lee sat back on the blankets and lifted his hips to help pull his pants off, then gasped and jerked as Gaara touched him. Lee’s erection twitched in response, and rose a little higher. He licked his lips and looked at Gaara, trying to make himself hold still so that the redhead could do what he wanted. Gaara was already doing better than Lee. He wasn’t hesitating, and obviously seemed comfortable with touching Lee.

With Lee’s pants off, Gaara shifted closer and wrapped an arm under one of Lee’s legs, noting briefly how hairy the man was compared to him. His eyes slid to look at Lee’s face, his pulse speeding up slightly when he caught his gaze. He could smell Lee’s musk and his own cum without a strong breeze to diffuse it, and it was almost enough to get him hard again.

Gaara’s hand squeezed lightly around the base of Lee’s cock, fondling his balls almost like an afterthought before wrapping his hand around the base. Slowly, he stroked up, surprised to find Lee uncircumcised. His hand kept squeezing up until he’d gathered the loose skin around the head, before slowly pulling down, stroking the sensitive head through the foreskin.

“Hah-” Lee groaned, his brows pulling together and his hands tightening on the blankets. That felt really good. Gaara’s hands were warm and strong. Lee’s immediate thought was that this felt different than with a woman. Gaara knew better how to handle male anatomy, and his hands weren’t delicate or unsure. Lee peeked at Gaara from under his lashes, and felt his pulse quicken even more at the desire in Gaara’s expression.

A shudder went through Gaara’s body at Lee’s groan. It was a selfish thing, but he’d rather hear those sounds from Lee while keeping a tight hold on his own reactions. The arm under Lee’s thigh pulled his leg further away, knowing how the stretch would make Lee feel everything just a little more. He brought the upper part of Lee’s cock out from the top of his underwear, swallowing at the girth of it. Maybe it was just the foreskin still covering it, but his fingers had a harder time closing around the head than on his own. He pulled the skin down from the tip and squeezed just a little harder to milk out a bit of pre-cum, using his thumb to spread the clear liquid over the bulbous tip.

Lee shuddered and his breath became ragged and strained. “Gaara, that feels...” Lee’s low voice trailed off with a gasp as his hips jerked. He leaned back, locking his elbows to keep him up. He squeezed his eyes shut and let his head fall back. The coil of pleasure in his gut, chest, and groin was growing tighter, flashing hot and delicious with each grasp and stroke of Gaara’s hands.

Gaara felt his cheeks grow warm as he kept his gaze on Lee’s cock, admittedly fascinated by the difference between it and his own. He could hear Lee’s ragged breath, could see the powerful flex of his body from the corner of his eyes as he leaned back. Pulling the foreskin all the way down with one hand, he curled his other arm- still hooked around Lee’s thigh -and spat in his hand before enveloping the head of Lee’s cock in his palm. His strokes were slick now, wet and hot, and it was easier to slid his palm around the taut skin and over the slit at the tip.

Lee jerked, grunting low and curling his toes. He rolled his head back around, and felt a rush of arousal when he saw the look of fascination on Gaara’s face. Lee’s voice shook.

“G-Gaara I- I am going to come,” Lee warned, biting his lip and jerking his hips.

"Then come," was all Gaara said as he curled his hand into a fist and slid the tight ring of his palm around the head over and over again.

Lee groaned a choppy, garbled version of Gaara’s name as his orgasm washed over him. He felt like the pleasure had playfully punched him in the lungs as he came over Gaara’s hand messily. His elbows wobbled behind him and he slumped onto his back, panting.

Lee groaned again in relief after a short pause, feeling the afterglow set into his muscles. He felt tingly and pleasantly heavy, but at the same time like a weight had been lifted from his chest. He blinked his eyes open blearily, gazing up at the array of stars.

Gaara kept his hand around Lee even after he shot the last of his load. The shaft was still hard as he slid his hand loosely up to allow the foreskin to close over the tip. He pulled Lee's boxerbriefs over his groin again. Sitting back and letting go of the man's leg, he stared off into the distant stars on the horizon to gather his wits about him, lethargy creeping into his mind and body now that both of them were sated. Then he wiped his soiled hand on the blanket Lee had fallen against and slid down to kiss Lee’s jaw, rolling onto his back beside him and letting out a long breath.

"We needed that." He murmured, finally looking at the stars like Lee had intended them to do. Light sweat plastered a few red strands to his forehead while the rest spread out wildly to frame his head. The flush on his face hadn’t died down yet.  "...Do you still want to know about my tattoo?"

“Yeah,” Lee responded, breathless. He turned and looked at Gaara, feeling pleasantly buzzed. A smile crept onto his face at the flush that colored his boyfriend’s face, and his messy hair. He looked really... cute. “That felt good.”

Lee slid his hand into Gaara’s, ignoring the embarrassing cum residue there. He could feel his breath finally slowing, and the sweat drying on his skin in the warm night air. “You said you got it in high school?”

Gaara faced Lee without moving too much of his limp body, but he curled his fingers around Lee’s hand in his. Somehow throughout all that they’d done, Lee’s bowlcut still remained neat and shiny. He waited until his breathing slowed down before speaking in a quiet voice, “Yes. I wanted it on my forehead at first, but the parlor wouldn’t allow it.”

He blinked a few times with the recollection, looking for the right words to describe what he’d been like back then. For some people, childhood could feel like it just ended yesterday, but for Gaara, it was a darkness he’d created himself locked in the back of his mind. He didn’t want to dig up everything all over again, even for Lee. But he could allow a little bit to come through after sharing a physically intimate moment with the other man.

“I didn’t see the worth in other people back then. Everyone I knew were like insects following a hive mentality and neatly sliding into their roles of son, brother, student, and those cliches in school everyone tries to avoid but eventually fall into.” He snorted. “I thought I was above even my family, that I was too different and that was why people were afraid of me. But that was really just a reaction to what I believed I was.”

Lee held Gaara’s gaze, surprised by what his boyfriend was telling him. His brows pulled together, though he remained relaxed and still enjoyed the tingles in his body. With a short groan of effort, Lee rolled over so that he was laying on his stomach with an arm around Gaara’s waist. His hand still in Gaara’s squeezed affectionately.

“That sounds really lonely,” Lee said, letting his cheek rest on Gaara’s upper shoulder. “Why did you think you were so different?”

Gaara craned his neck to look at Lee and raised his brows at that description. “It wasn’t lonely back then. I was used to it.” He slipped his clean hand through Lee’s hair, messing up his bowlcut with little effect. He wondered if Lee would agree to letting his hair grow out. “I was born without much hair on my body and face, and these dark marks on my eyes. People thought I put eyeliner on everyday to look ‘goth’.” The way he said the word was accompanied by a wrinkle of his nose. “...Since even Temari and Kankuro used to tease me, eventually I just stopped trying to convince them otherwise.”

“I am sorry,” Lee said, bending his neck to kiss Gaara’s shoulder, but otherwise relaxing against the pleasant fingers in his hair. He hummed comfortably and his eyes drooped. “I got teased a lot growing up, too, so I know how it hurts. But I never got a tattoo.”

Lee dragged his hand down Gaara’s waist and ran his fingers over Gaara’s waist where the red ink stuck out. “It sounds like you had some really deep thinking as a kid. I only thought about things that reached the playground. Did you grow up here in Suna?”

“You would have to shave a part of your body to get a tattoo.” Gaara’s lips quirked up one side at the sleepy-eyed look on Lee’s face. He looked back up at the sky, finding the darkness in between easier to look at compared to the bright stars. They hinted at an infinite space beyond the twinkling lights. “Yes. My family actually lived here ever since it was just a collection of stone and adobe mud buildings centuries ago.”

Judging from Lee’s amazement earlier in the night, he had a feeling Lee enjoyed stories even at his age. The redhead tugged on the blanket next to them and threw it over their bodies, finding comfort in the warmth. “I was more interested in how people lived back then than in toys and cartoons. When my mother was still alive, she was too weak to do any sports and other outdoor activities, so she read to me most of the time.”

“Yeah?” Lee tucked the blanket tighter with a small sigh of satisfaction. “What kind of stories did she read to you?”

Lee was a little envious, listening to Gaara talk about growing up with his family, even they didn’t sound like many nice memories. All Lee had craved growing up was to have a family; he wanted people in his life who he had a real solid bond to, who would be responsible for him. It was hard to find that, even in friends for him, after he’d lost his parents and had such unusual looks.

“Stories about Suna, the traditions and culture when it was just a warrior village. She was a narrative historian before she died.” Gaara licked his lips. Once again he found himself talking a lot more than Lee when they were alone. “There was one story about an old woman who could bring the dead to life at the cost of years of her own. Another recounted the famous battle between Kaze no Kuni and Oto no Kuni, but from the eyes of the current ruler. There was even a period when Suna and Konoha were allied in a great war. Most of the old texts on Suna are missing parts or only mention names in passing, so the stories were never complete.”

“The one story I remember was of a man who took a demon inside him and mastered it until he could use its powers.” He let out a breath, almost sounding like he was chuckling. “My mother said he was a Sabaku, a one time ruler of Suna who bore these marks too. When she died, I thought I had something similar inside me because it was my birth that led to her weak constitution.”

Lee lifted his head, his attention rapt to the sound of Gaara’s voice and his stories. He nuzzled Gaara’s jaw, feeling cozy. “She sounds like an amazing woman. I wish I could have met her. You know there is nothing demonic about you though, right? I know you have heard some of the others say it after you have killed a few zombies with your golf clubs, but it is not true.”

There was no use trying to hide what the others said about Gaara, and it made Lee think about the childhood he was describing. Gaara acted cold and unaffected, but Lee knew better. Gaara had feelings just like everyone else.

Gaara looked over at Lee’s head on his shoulder, a tremble in his chest he couldn’t find a reason for. He’d rather Lee keep that thought of him than to let him know about what he’d become _after_ his mother died. The resentment his siblings had about it, and the continuous childish taunts that had led to a violent streak and sociopathic tendencies for years. His father had grieved in his own way, growing cold and traveling more often. But that left the siblings to fend for themselves and work out the death of their mother among them.

“Why were you teased?” He asked instead. “There’s nothing wrong with your appearance. Tenten said you looked a lot like your uncle.”

Lee let his head settle on Gaara’s shoulder again, closing his eyes sleepily. “My eyes are too round, I have eyelashes like a girl, my hair was too long for years, my eyebrows are too thick- even as a child- and I was very competitive, even though I always failed at whatever I tried. I got into fights a lot.”

Lee dragged his fingers in circles over Gaara’s hip, thoughtful. “I was lonely. But after my uncle Gai took me in, everything changed for the better.”

“...Hm. A failure doesn’t get up and try again even when the odds are high.” Gaara’s hand rubbed at the nape of Lee’s neck. He let the silence stretch out, listening to Lee breathe next to him and feeling the steady rise and fall of his back. When he thought Lee was finally asleep, he murmured the man’s name softly, just feeling how his lips and tongue formed it while he felt Lee’s fingers still over the ‘love’ symbol on his hip.

Now that he knew better, it was obvious that everyone carried some scar or another from their childhood years, just as everyone would carry the hurt and loss of this outbreak years later. If they survived.

 


	14. Chapter 14

Winter was gone, but it was like the cold still lingered inside the hotel and among the surviving residents living together. Resources were strained as Temari had predicted with the new arrivals forcing them to open another wing of the hotel. And there were sightings of raiders within the city now, not just out on the desert. And the few who could vent their tension through sparring spent the days testing each other in the function room.

Hinata wiped the sweat from her brow and schooled her features as best as she could as she held up her arms the way Gaara had shown her before. Makeshift weapons aside, the real challenge was in honing her reflexes against an opponent like Lee. Her light colored eyes narrowed and she spun to the side to launch a spinning back fist.

Lee had to admit, Hinata didn’t miss anything, though she sometimes didn’t have time to react. It was like she had eyes in the back of her head. Lee back-stepped to avoid her fist, since it was no use trying to duck when he was already so much taller than her. He launched forward, spinning his leg low to try and knock her off her feet. He kept his eyes on her midsection, trying to get a feel for how she moved before each attack.

Jumping over Lee’s leg, Hinata kept her arm over her face and followed her defense with a side swipe. Unlike Gaara’s straightforward attacks and occasional sneaky moves, Hinata had adopted Kiba’s synchronized defense and attack movements while her eyes were trained for catching subtle movement after Neji’s instructions with a rifle.

Lee grunted as Hinata’s swipe glanced off the side of his head, barely as he tried dodging. He brought his leg up again, aiming a wide arch toward her midsection. An advantage he had over Hinata was his long reach, and he intended to use it to the fullest.

His leg hit against Hinata’s midsection with the missed swipe causing the girl to move with its momentum. She stumbled to the side, and grasped her abdomen with a pinched look on her face, but she took up an open stance again, running and pulling back her shoulder for a punch.

Lee hesitated when he saw the look on Hinata’s face, costing him precious instants of reaction time when she advanced toward him. He threw his arms up too late and reeled backward as her fist struck his jaw with surprising force for a girl with a loud _thunk_ on impact. He clutched his jaw with one hand, his wide eyes intent, and threw out an arm, trying to catch her around the shoulders for a headlock while she was close.

Hinata’s knuckles hurt from the impact but she caught sight of Lee’s arm as it shot out, and she pulled back to avoid it, holding an arm across her midsection again. “T-Time out.” She panted, holding up a hand in front of her as she caught her breath.

“Are you okay? Did I kick too hard?” Lee asked, dropping his stance immediately and holding his hands up in concern. His brows pulled together.

“She’s still learning, you shouldn’t go all out,” a voice called from the open door to the recreation room. Kiba was leaning against the frame as if he’d been standing there for a while, but his arms were loose and his expression was concerned like he was ready to jump in and help the girl out.

The sound of Kiba’s voice had Hinata straightening up slightly, her eyes seeking out where Kiba was. “I-I asked him n-not to hold back.” She said, her shoulders tensing as she brought her hands up again. “P-Please don’t interfere, Kiba.”

The concerned expression on Kiba’s face fell, and the man almost resembled Akamaru when he was trying to beg for something. The two of them hadn’t been close to each other since the start of winter. Even after Kiba had long stopped fighting with Gaara, and had eased up on his unspoken tension with Neji, they hadn’t resolved their friendship. Hinata spent more and more time with Neji and Gaara, while Kiba had taken to joining Naruto’s close circle of friends.

“Hinata.” Kiba tried to catch her attention again, taking a step closer to the two.

“I j-just needed to c-catch my breath. Are you ready, Lee?” Hinata said, spreading her legs and taking a defensive pose, though she was still hunched forward like her chest was hurting her.

Lee cleared his throat awkwardly. He was glad that Kiba and Gaara seemed to have resolved whatever issues they’d had before, but it seemed to have come at a cost. Lee really didn’t want to get in the middle of it. He rolled his shoulder, and touched the bruise forming on his jaw. “Actually Miss Hinata, I could use a quick break. I should put something on my jaw to stop the swelling, and, um, my arm is bothering me.”

The last statement held an obvious false note to Lee’s voice. He’d never been a very good liar. Nonetheless, he started backing toward the door.

Kiba took Lee’s cue to try and approach Hinata. For all the brusqueness of his attitude and speech, he looked like he was prepared to grovel if needed.

“B-But Lee-” Hinata protested weakly with Lee’s departure. Left with Kiba in the room, she held her arms stiffly against her sides for a long-overdue talk with her friend.

* * *

Gaara’s leg felt like it was on fire as Sakura poured antiseptic over it. His eyes were narrowed in pain as he silently bore the sting of the leg wound. It was almost funny how he landed in an almost similar predicament as Lee-- getting shot at by raiders while he joined a foraging party in the city. Except, the bullet had only grazed his leg instead of piercing skin and his wound wouldn’t need stitches.

“How soon will this heal?” He asked stiffly, hissing between his teeth as he shifted on the chair. “I need to let Temari know about the raiders.”

“It’s not going to go away overnight,” Sakura said as she swabbed the excess antiseptic around the wound. She pulled out the medical history she’d been keeping for Gaara since they’d been at the mall together and flipped through a couple pages, before setting it aside and reaching for the bandages. “I’m sure the rest of the people in your party will talk to Temari. Shouldn’t you be going to Lee first to make sure he knows you’re okay?” She kept her eyes on her work, but there was a sense that she was paying attention to Gaara’s expression from the corner of her eye.

“The rest of my party were too busy making sure we brought back everything.” Gaara dismissed Sakura’s reasoning, but his hackles rose when she brought up Lee. He didn’t like the easy way she referred to him, or the fact that since she’d arrived at the hotel, Lee would drop by her clinic often. He crossed his arms, restless as she patched up his leg. “I’ll find Lee after I talk to her.”

“He’s gonna be worried about you.” Sakura commented as she taped the gauze onto Gaara’s wound. She set down the bandages and took another look at his medical history, jotting something down. “How are things with Lee, by the way? He talks about you when he visits me.”

Gaara’s lips pressed together firmly with the line of questioning, trying to decipher if Sakura was patronizing him or actually stating a fact. It was unsettling to know that Lee talked about him to someone he used to like. “He’s my boyfriend.” He deadpanned, pressing his tongue against the inside of his upper teeth in thought before saying, “Why does he still visit you? Lee isn’t attracted to you anymore and you led him on when he still was. He shouldn’t discuss our relationship with you.”

Sakura stiffened and her jaw clenched at Gaara’s blunt words. She set down her pen with an irritable click on the desk. “Lee and I are friends. We’ve always been friends, even when he wanted more than that. _You_ wouldn’t understand.”

Sakura was trying to be nice, she really was, but Gaara was getting on her nerves. He’d never been able to act civil toward her, and he was always rude. Something in his words struck a vulnerable chord in her. A vein on her forehead twitched sharply as she applied the last piece of tape around the wound. “Is that why you’ve always disliked me? Because you’re jealous that Lee was attracted to me? It didn’t sound like Lee was attracted in men before.”

A scowl formed on Gaara’s face and once she’d patched up his leg, he pushed his chair back. “I dislike you for accepting Lee’s attention when you didn’t feel anything for him. He wouldn’t stop talking about you even when all he got was a smile.” His voice was even, deliberate but his eyes were narrowed. “I don’t like you for treating him like he had a chance, always taking, always stopping short when he just wanted acknowledgment. ”

He picked up his straps and began fastening them around his body again, the golf clubs thudding against each other in their holster as the redhead fixed the buckles with quick, abrupt movements. “When I shot Tenten, it was because she was in pain, and so was Lee. Lee remained my friend even after that, something _you_ won’t understand.”

His voice grew deeper, almost menacing, “You said I was a monster for killing her.” His eyes snapped up, looking at Sakura with a piercing gaze. “If you attempt to hurt him in any way, I won’t hesitate to do what needs to be done.”

Sakura’s eyes widened at the sudden ferocity in Gaara, and she felt a thrill of fear at the look in his eyes, and the reminder of death in the golf clubs on his back. She stood from her seat and took a step back. “You need to leave my clinic. Right now. You’re done here,” she said slowly, pointing toward the door with a clenched jaw. Her nostrils flared as she tried to remain calm and collected, though Gaara’s words made her want to yell and throw things.

Satisfaction, raw and dangerous, flared in Gaara's chest at the fear he saw in Sakura. He trusted Lee more than he knew he should, but Sakura would think twice before attempting anything past that friendship they insisted on continuing. And maybe one day Lee would stop bringing her soda and instead give Gaara the same dedication and attention she'd gotten from him. Sakura didn't need to repeat her words with Gaara heading for the door with a hobbled step.

Sakura’s hands were shaking in anger before Gaara was out the door. Naruto was right when he said that she could have a temper, and many of Gaara’s words held a hurtful ring of truth. Not only that, but he had just threatened her, and she wasn’t about to underestimate a killer like Gaara. Sakura had come to an understanding with Lee about his new relationship, but it seemed that she couldn’t accept his change of heart after all. Gaara was a cruel person.

* * *

“Don’t you see? This is exactly why we need to get the fuck out of here and head to Konoha already! We’re being attacked on routine foraging missions!”

 “It’s still too soon! We don’t have any supplies, and we don’t even know what we’re going to find there! It could be worse in Konoha, you don’t know!”

Naruto and several other people in the hotel had gathered in one of the recreation rooms and were talking about finally leaving Suna with a truck or two. Others in the room however had the opposite opinion. After everyone had been cooped up in the hotel for so long without much outlet, and especially during the cold and desolate winter, tensions were running high and it seemed an outburst had finally erupted. Naruto’s face was red from yelling and frustration, and Sai had to hold him back from breaking out into a fist fight.

“Gaara!” Lee suddenly dashed into the room, his eyes wide as he ran toward his boyfriend. “I just heard that you were shot! Are you okay? What happened? How bad are you hurt?”

Gaara unfolded his arms when Lee rushed to him. His brows were heavily knotted with the heated debate going around the room, but he met Lee’s concern with a hand pressed to the man’s forearm. “Raiders.” He said, glancing at the growing division between the others in the room over the issue. He lowered his voice as Temari argued for those who wanted to stay. “Our party was attacked in the city. A bullet grazed my leg, but the wound’s only skin-deep.” His troubled gaze shifted up to Lee. “...They’re getting bolder. And one of the raiders was wearing a strange cloak around him, black with red clouds. I don’t think anyone else in my party saw that.”

“I am so glad you are okay,” Lee said, wrapping his arms around Gaara in a tight hug. If they had been in private he would have held on for much longer, but in the recreation room surrounded by so many loud voices he let go and just kept a hand on Gaara’s shoulder, as if he needed to hold onto him. He took a couple deep breaths, calming down from his scare. “I ran to the clinic as soon as I heard, but you were already gone and Sakura would not hardly talk to me! She seemed really upset about and I thought that was because you were hurt so badly, so I ran here to see.”

“Who says we’d be willing to just _give_ you one of our only trucks anyway? We only have a few vehicles, and we can’t afford to lose any.” Temari’s voice was cold and sharp, but her livid expression made it seem like she was snarling.

“Half of your people want to come with us! What’s left for us in the city? If it’s not raiders, it’s zombies and fucking starvation!” Naruto argued back, the whisker like marks on his face making him look like an animal for the color of his face. “We’ve been trapped in this city for almost a year now!”

Gaara was warm from Lee’s hug and he moved his hand over Lee’s on his shoulder. He pulled his attention away from the argument to focus on the other man, unused to so much concern over him but glad that Lee had looked for him. “I’m not hurt.” He assured, “I would have looked for you after speaking with Temari.” The silent ‘but’ hung in the air as Ino added her voice to the debate, saying that it was too risky to just leave when they had electricity in the hotel.

He sighed quietly, unconsciously leaning towards Lee. The fact that Sakura might have said something to Lee didn’t even bother him when something as big as this was going on. “They’ve been arguing about leaving or staying since I got here.”

“Naruto wants to leave? Already? He has not been here long,” Lee said doubtfully, looking to everyone else in the room speculatively. It looked like the room was divided in half, with Naruto leading one side and Temari on the other. He squeezed Gaara’s shoulder.

“You can yell at me all you want, Uzumaki, the fact is that _I_ am in charge here, and _you_ are a guest. If you want to waste precious resources, get out of this hotel and find your own truck!” Temari snapped her handheld fan shut decisively, as though that was her final decision. “We are safe here, and you have no idea what is waiting for you in Konoha.”

“How many people are you going to sacrifice before you change your mind?! Look even Gaara got shot-!” Naruto was still pushing the matter but Temari had already turned her back to him and was heading towards Gaara and Lee. “Temari!”

The Sabaku woman took in the sight of Lee and Gaara, recognizing something in her brother’s eyes before she said curtly. “Both of you come with me. This matter is closed for now.” She strode past them with her back ramrod straight.

Gaara squeezed Lee’s hand slightly and began to follow after his sister, limping on his wounded leg but stubbornly keeping his mouth shut about the pain.

Lee followed close, watching the way Gaara walked with concern. He kept a hand on Gaara’s shoulder, just in case he needed help, but he recognized the look of pinched stubbornness on the redhead’s face. Naruto was still glaring murderously after them as they left the room, and everyone else dispersed to their own business, whispering amongst each other.

Temari lead them to another room down a hallway. It was a meeting room for conventions hosted by the hotel, with a long table and chairs. It was dusty, since it was hardly used.

“How did that argument get started?” Lee asked, his brows pulled together.

Sitting down on a chair with a sigh, Temari pulled her elbows up on the table and rested her chin on her fingers. She’d seen the bandages around Gaara’s leg, but recognized Sakura’s work, assuring her that it had already been treated. “Naruto’s people make up almost a third of our scouting parties. They’re the ones risking their lives when they look for more food or supplies. It’s natural for him to want a change.”

As Gaara took a seat next to her, she scrutinized his leg with tightly pressed lips. “What happened Gaara?”

“It’s just as Naruto said. There are raiders in the city.” The redhead replied, letting his wounded leg straighten out with a silent huff. “But there’s something new. One of them was wearing the Akatsuki cloak.”

Lee took a seat next to Gaara and looked over his leg with furrowed brows. He looked okay, and his bandages were clean like he wasn’t bleeding a lot. When it was time to change the bandages, Lee would be there to help, and see the wound for himself. He leaned close to Gaara as he addressed both the Sabaku siblings. “What is Akatsuki? Was that the cloak with red clouds?”

“Are you sure about that? How many did you see?” Temari asked, glancing at Lee but speaking to her brother.

“Just one. It was just a glimpse before we had to take off.” Gaara said, frowning at this new development. He turned to Lee, adding, “Remember when I told you about Sasori and Zetsu being part of the Akatsuki? That was their symbol. If they’re helping the raiders, it won’t be long before they’ll try to take over what little resources we have left.”

Temari was looked between Lee and Gaara as her brother talked. Their relationship was well-established now, no matter what her thoughts were on the matter. She still thought Gaara had been too quick to accept the other man, but for the moment, she had someone else watching out for him when she couldn’t. “I can understand why Naruto wants to leave. Konoha is your home too, isn’t it Lee? Most of the people here originally came from there. Home always sounds safer.”

“Well, I do want to go to Konoha eventually,” Lee said. “But I did not think it would be possible until later, after winter was completely over and we had a plan.”

Lee’s mind was running in circles with the implications behind an organized group of people who were plotting against the hotel. If there were people calling themselves the ‘Akatsuki’ and trying to steal or hoard all the city’s resources for themselves- and shooting at people who got in their way- ‘safe’ was a long lost idea in Suna. “What do you think we should do? Is there anyway to stop the raiders, maybe communicating with them? Or should we leave like Naruto says?”

“This isn’t the best time to leave. Right now, my first priority is to keep the peace and convince Naruto to wait.” Temari decided, glancing up sharply when the conference room door opened. Shikamaru poked his head in and gave a lazy wave to everyone inside.

“Thought you’d like to know that everyone’s heading back to their rooms already.” The man said, nodding at Lee and Gaara before looking back at Temari. He didn’t seem affected by her sharp gaze as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

Gaara’s eyes narrowed at Shikamaru, highly aware that while he and Lee had grown closer over the last month, so had Temari come to tolerate Shikamaru’s presence. Sometimes.

If Shikamaru noticed Gaara’s suspicious glare, he didn’t mention it as he plopped down into another chair. He shifted, and grumbled something about uncomfortable convention chairs, but seemed to be watching the others and waiting for the conversation to continue.

“So, if we cannot leave yet, how are we supposed to protect each other from the raiders?” Lee asked, his brows furrowed. He was bouncing his knee restlessly under the table, his mind turning in circles as he tried to reason where to go from here. People were in more danger everyday, and now even Gaara had gotten hurt! “We are incredibly lucky that no one has died yet.”

“I know, I know,” Temari said, sounding frustrated. She pulled out her fan and opened it with a loud crack, and fanned herself out of habit. “We’re going to have to tighten security, and start taking different routes every time we go out, so they can’t predict where we’re going or coming from.”

“We should keep Sasori and Zetsu apart.” Gaara suggested, “I’ve seen them talking to Deidara too. If they hear about this, that will make them a threat to everyone.” His hand slipped under the table and pressed against Lee’s bouncing knee. “As for Naruto, he means well but he’s also stubborn. Have someone you trust guard the trucks at all times. He won’t hurt anyone, but he has a lot of influence.”

Temari shut her eyes briefly, taking a breath. She wished Kankuro were here. The three of them were always better at situations when they were together, pooling their skills and knowledge together. She opened her eyes with a grim smile. “I’d put you to that task if I didn’t know you were close friends with Naruto.” She told Gaara with a hint of affection on her face. “Shikamaru is already keeping an eye on Sasori’s movements. In the meantime, be careful what you say and who you talk to.”

“I already report everything Sasori does or says to you,” Shikamaru said to Temari, his eyes glazed as if sleepy or bored. “I might be able to find someone to look at Zetsu.”

“I will talk to Neji and make sure everyone knows about the security changes. He might have some ideas, too.” Lee took a deep breath and tried to relax, sliding a hand over Gaara’s on his knee. They would try to reason with Naruto and the people who agreed with him until they were ready to leave, but in the meantime they needed to focus on the more pressing issues. 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is **NSFW.**

Gaara woke up to palpitations and a tremble coursing through him. He quickly sought out his companion on the bed and breathed deeply when he saw that Lee was alive and whole. His eyes were damp when he rubbed the sleep from them, unwilling to let himself fall asleep and resume the nightmare he’d had. Lee was alive. Temari was alive, and so were everyone else in the hotel. His brother was long put to rest, even if at the moment, he had to remind himself of that.

Rolling onto his side, he slid an arm around Lee’s torso, resting his hand on the man’s back and just feeling the steady heartbeat underneath his skin. Sunlight filtered into the room, but the soft blue tint to it had Gaara sighing at the early hour. It was too early to get up though Choji would probably be in the kitchens already to make breakfast. The wound on his leg throbbed faintly, tempting the redhead to scratch at the bandages around it.  

Lee took a deep breath and let it out slowly, still in a place between real life and his dreams. He shifted, laying on his stomach and turned his head toward Gaara, blinking softly. They’d maintained their sleeping arrangement together after they’d become more than just friends, but they didn’t tend to cuddle unless there was a mood or reason. Gaara’s hand on his back was warm, and their bodies were pressed close under the blankets.

“G’morning,” Lee mumbled. He blinked his eyes a little wider as he noticed the uneasy look on Gaara’s face and the watery quality to his eyes. “You okay? Is your leg bothering you?”

Pressing his hand a little more firmly against the muscles on Lee's back, Gaara kneaded the contours on his shoulder blades and down his lower back, finding comfort in the repetitive motions. "I'm fine." he murmured, "I was dreaming." Lifting his eyes, the dark marks around them looked darker with the moisture along his lashes.

Lee's bedroom look always attracted him even when all they did was sleep next to each other the night before. The way Lee looked at him with half-open eyes and a groggy expression on his face brought warmth and took away the lingering trembles. "Kankuro was here. He bit Temari and spread the infection here. You were the last to get bitten."

Lee nodded sympathetically and rolled onto his side to face Gaara without disturbing the arm around his waist. He slid long fingers with rough skin through Gaara’s red hair and kissed him softly, pressing their foreheads together. He took a deep breath as he felt himself becoming more wakeful, inhaling the smell of sleep and the earthy, personal scent of their bodies and the sheets.

“I am sorry. But you are awake now, and none of that happened,” he said. Lee wiped at the moisture at the edge of Gaara’s dark ringed eyes, understanding in the soft set of his mouth. He was all too familiar with bad dreams.

Gaara’s eyes shut from the soft touch and the close press of Lee’s face against his. The roughness of the man’s fingers felt good against his scalp, and he leaned into the touch. “...I know. It felt real but Kankuro’s gone.” He licked his lips, finding himself curiously self-conscious about being this close to Lee. The epidemic had forced everyone to ration all luxury supplies, but there were some things- like mouthwash and toothpaste -that they could still forage from the supermarkets and groceries. Gaara opened his eyes and stared into Lee’s round eyes.

“I think...” He swallowed, brows meeting in a small knot at the hesitation in his voice. That was new. “If something like that happened here, and I was the only one left unbitten, I’d put an end to everyone except you. When you’ve bitten me, I’ll kill both of us.”

It was a grim declaration, but Gaara’s views were changing every day he spent with Lee. It wasn’t all about survival anymore.

“Gaara...” Lee’s eyes widened, shocked. He pulled back and looked at the redhead carefully. That was a huge leap from the priorities they had talked about forever ago. He shook his head slowly. “I love you. But, if something like that happened... I do not want to even think about it, but if that really happened, I would want you to survive no matter what. I would not ever want you to be hurt.”

Lee had known that Gaara’s feelings for him were strong, and had been there for a long time, but it wasn’t until Gaara said something like that that it could really sink in. Gaara was cold and clinical when it came to surviving the outbreak, harboring no hesitation and none of the morals that wouldn’t help him continue living. If he would really accept death if Lee was bitten... Lee felt his own eyes prickle at the thought. “Will you promise me that if something happened, you would continue fighting? I cannot bear the thought that you would die, too.” He ran his fingers through Gaara’s hair again, gently.

That was something Gaara wasn't prepared to promise. Pushing himself up, he slid his leg over Lee's then threw his weight against the other man until he was seated on top of him, his red hair falling over his face as he looked down. Lee's body was pleasingly tanned and fit, just as Gaara's was even if the redhead never seemed to tan during the same runs Lee went on. He ran his hands over the man's abs  with an unreadable look on his face. "I fought to find a cure when there still seemed to be one. Then it was because everyone needed protection and someone who's not afraid to do what's needed. Now Temari is alive and Naruto has a good dream for the future."

He placed both hands on either side of Lee's head and leaned over him. "But I've always pushed on because I wanted to keep you safe. There's no reason to keep fighting if all that's gone."

Lee’s breath caught and his hands automatically caught on Gaara’s hips, squeezing them in his hands as the redhead leaned forward. His brows pulled together in protest at what Gaara was saying, though his pulse quickened at the way he was touched. “But, there is still hope for a cure. And Temari and Naruto need you! You do so much to protect everyone everyday, you are an amazing leader. The world is a better place with you alive.”

Propping himself up on his elbows, Lee’s face was very close to Gaaras as he spoke. He pressed their cheeks together and closed his eyes. “What if there really is an afterlife? It would hurt me so much if I knew you died because of me.”

Gaara had no answer for that except to press his lips against Lee's, grasping the man's shoulders. He didn't want to have to make that choice where his own morals would battle with his emotions. The chances of Lee getting bitten were high and Gaara had no illusions that their good fortune would last forever. Shutting his eyes, he parted his lips and licked along the edges of Lee's mouth to take those thoughts from his boyfriend's mind.

The thin cotton of his pants stretched taut against his thighs when he began to grind his hips against Lee's, spurred on by the squeezing grip Lee had on them.

Lee gasped from the way Gaara suddenly kissed him and moved their bodies together. He opened his mouth under Gaara’s prompting and pulled him closer, his hands squeezing tightly. Warmth bloomed in his stomach, and he flushed as he felt his body reacting immediately, though that was partially because of the early hour. He sat up higher, bending his knees to press Gaara closer.

He wasn’t going to forget about this issue, but he could postpone their conversation for another time, after he’d had a better chance to think about it. Lee loved Gaara, and he hated thinking about if the worst should happen. At the same time however, he knew that the danger and the possibilities were real. He wanted them to make a mutual decision about how to react when or if the time came. The danger however, gave him all the more reason to enjoy the time they had now. With that thought in mind, Lee kissed Gaara back slowly and deeply, and dragged one of his hands down the other man’s back.

Arching forward as Lee's fingers found the sensitive spot on his back, Gaara's lips quirked up in their kiss when he felt Lee responding already. The fact that they were both men didn't seem to bother Lee anymore. He rolled his hips down in little circular motions, feeling the growing mounds between their hips with each shift and grind. His nightmare forgotten, the redhead kissed around Lee's mouth, playfully evading the man's attempt to deepen their kiss. His hands moved down Lee's sides until they reached his hands on Gaara's back.

Gripping them, Gaara pried the fingers from his body and pulled both hands above Lee's head while he let out a pleased grunt. With the new leverage, he ground down harder with his eyes fastened on Lee's face. "I want to try something new." he murmured, rocking his hips relentlessly against Lee's.

“S-something new?” Lee repeated, beginning to pant at the friction beneath his pants and the purposeful, provocative way Gaara moved on top of him. It felt good, even though the sensation of both their erections pressing together through their clothes was still odd in retrospect. He tried to lift his head for a kiss, but Gaara stayed just out of his reach, and the other man’s hands held him back. Lee hadn’t worn a shirt to bed this time, so he was dressed only in his drawstring sleep pants. He shifted his legs, trying to roll his hips with Gaara’s.

Gaara’s eyes narrowed in thought and anticipation, grinding down hard once more before he lifted his hips up and crawled forward just enough that he was perched on his elbows and knees on top Lee. His hands continued to grip Lee’s wrists against the pillows above him, while he cocked his head to the side. “You’re comfortable stroking another man’s penis and letting me masturbate you. I want to try other things with you.”

“Oh...” It was incredibly sexy to have the redhead on top of him like this, their bodies pressed together. Lee licked his lips, and it took him a few seconds to respond to the incredibly blunt way that Gaara described their physical relationship. It would take time for Lee to get used to hearing such things out loud regularly. He didn’t even try to _think_ some of the words that Gaara used so casually. His eyes were wide, completely alert now. “I- I must confess, I am not entirely sure what men are supposed to do together. I know some- like, um, using hands, and mouths, and p-penetration in theory, but I do not know much about the, um, mechanics of it.”

The pink tongue washing over Lee’s lips had Gaara’s rapt attention focused on it for a moment. When he was with Lee, Gaara’s sharp reflexes and hard, deliberate movements grew more fluid, though most of the time it still seemed like he was alert for an attack. It didn’t help that when Lee looked at him with such wide eyes, the redhead felt his blood rise. “You don’t need to know the mechanics, Lee. Just what feels good.” He murmured, looking around the bed and the side tables.

There was something in particular he wanted to try on Lee, but it was actually unfamiliar to him as well. Finding nothing to use from his initial scan, he promptly held both of Lee’s wrists in one hand and untied the knots on the back of the man’s hands, looping the bandages on the bed frame and tying them neatly together. He sat back on Lee’s chest, watching for his reaction to this.

Lee’s flush deepened as he looked up at the neat knot that Gaara had made. He tugged experimentally, but it held strong. Gauze bandages were always shockingly durable. He swallowed thickly, turned on by this new turn of events and curious about what Gaara had in mind. His breath came quicker and shallow, and he felt his stomach flutter unsurely.

“What did you have in mind?” Lee asked, his voice growing husky. He shifted, his eyes drifting to the bulge in Gaara’s pants and then back up to the other man’s face. Lee stretched his legs, and shuddered as his erection shifted in his pants.

“I want you to tell me what feels good for you.” Gaara replied, running his hands down Lee’s shoulders to his chest and stomach. He could feel Lee’s erection pressing up under him and it spurred him on this. “Your scars numb a lot of sensation.” He traced the network of scars spreading out from Lee’s left side down his leg where he’d been in that accident. Gaara glanced briefly at his own healing wound, wondering if that would scar later on.

He bent down low and licked a thick knot of flesh crawling up the man’s chest, eyes sliding up to gauge his boyfriend’s reaction. Lee’s skin had a taste of salt and the scar lacked the chest hair peppering the man’s body. He followed its course until it reached a nipple, his lips closing over the nub softly like a question.

Gasping silently, Lee’s eyes slid shut and he let his head fall back. He hadn’t ever played a game exactly like this before, but he was curious about what Gaara wanted to do to him. Lee shivered, and his chest trembled under Gaara’s mouth and hands.

“That... feels good,” Lee said. It helped his awkwardness with saying things out loud to keep his eyes closed, and it heightened the sensation of Gaara’s warm body and weight on top of his. This whole situation was making his blood hotter, and Gaara’s initiative was making him want the other man more badly. “I really liked it when we were sparring that time, and you pinched them.”

Lee voicing out his thoughts was much better than just trying to decipher his reactions. Gaara sucked the nipple and swirled his tongue around it, amused by how hard it was already. He took Lee’s other nipple between his fingers and pinched to acknowledge the man’s comment. Pulling back with a soft suction noise, he couldn’t resist moving up slightly and sucking on the exposed underside of Lee’s neck, leaving a dark red hickey right in the middle of his throat.

His cock was pressing against his pants insistently, and he moved his legs to squeeze one of Lee’s between them, taking care not to strain his healing wound as he rocked against the hard muscle to get some relief. He continued to pinch and rub Lee’s nipple as he moved his kisses down Lee’s chest.

Lee’s breath escaped in a short moan, and he bit his lip sharply. He lifted his leg between Gaara’s to help rub against the other man’s hard groin. Gaara’s lips were warm and soft on his skin, yet sharp at the way he sucked and the delicious sensations he created with each fresh kiss. Lee pulled against the bandages around his wrists as he tucked his chin into his chest to look down at Gaara.

“My abs are sensitive,” Lee said, his voice soft and low. He gasped and shuddered as Gaara pinched one of his nipples in a particular way, making his dick twitch in his pants. “I have some scars there from a biking accident, but all around them I can feel really well.”

“...You’re enjoying this.” Gaara stated, eyes lidded as he kissed his way down to the man’s abs. This time, he raked his teeth lightly over the faint division between his muscles, searching for the sensitive places he mentioned. This low down Lee’s body, Gaara’s groin was pressed against Lee’s calf, making him groan when the man’s foot brushed against back of his groin. He began undoing the drawstring pants Lee had on with his free hand as he pulled back and blew on the skin he’d just kissed.

Looking up at the man’s face, he shuddered with desire at the picture Lee made. “I could do anything to you when you’re tied up like that. And you’d enjoy it.”

Lee gasped and tried to sit up so that he could see Gaara better, but his wrist restraints held him down. He shifted his hips, anticipation growing as Gaara untied his pants. “Yes,” Lee responded honestly, letting his head fall back while his breath shook. He still didn’t know everything that could turn Gaara on or what he wouldn’t like, but the other man seemed to enjoy having Lee talk to him. Lee had been in a relationship before where moments like this were completely silent, and that had been fine, but he had to admit that it felt good to step out of his usual comfort zone and actually ask Gaara to touch him.

“Do you like doing this to me?” he asked, pressing his calf against Gaara’s groin as best he could, clearly feeling how hard Gaara was.

Gaara’s neck felt warm despite the conversational tone they both kept, grown husky with desire. He started to pull Lee’s pants down, shifting his hips against Lee’s calf without caring that he was basically dry humping the other man’s leg. “Mm. I have you tied to the bed frame and you can’t turn this into another challenge when you’re already so hard.”

The green of his eyes looked dark when his bangs fell over them; Gaara bowing his head to follow the retreat of Lee’s pants with his mouth and tongue.

Lee groaned, spreading his legs a little wider as he felt Gaara’s wet mouth moving lower. He squirmed, his dick sensitive to the sliding fabric of his pants and then the fresh air. His eyes were open again, wide, but when he tried to look down at the other man all he could see was the top of Gaara’s messy red head. Lee’s dick was really, really hard, and if he didn’t get any relief soon, he was going to have to really test how strong this gauze could be.

“It could still be a challenge,” Lee said, his voice peppered by shallow breaths of anticipation. “This feels really good. Maybe I could try to make you feel as good, when I am not tied down.”

The thick head of Lee’s cock was hard and fully engorged as the pants finally slipped down Lee’s hips, and Gaara swallowed as he listened to the man’s words. He tilted his face up, regarding Lee with raised brows. “I’m not untying you,” he said firmly, already seeing Lee turn the tables on him and tie _him_ up. He swallowed again from the thought before looking down at the stiff length just below his mouth. “Not yet. Have you had this done to you before?” He murmured, not even waiting for an answer before he took hold of his cock and pulled down the loose foreskin from the head.

When the smooth, flushed tip was out, he licked at the slit on top to taste it, his own dick twitching as he thought of what Lee must be feeling.

“Hah-” Lee breathed throatily, pressing his head back against his pillow with a shudder. Gaara’s tongue was hot and wet, and felt completely erotic and amazing on the head of his dick. His groin pulsed and his mouth pulled up into a small smile as his nerves finally seemed to leave him completely. “J- just once or twice. But I have never been tied up before. That feels really good....”

Lee tried to lift his hips a little unconsciously, drawn toward Gaara’s warm mouth.

Gaara hummed in satisfaction as he slipped the tip of his tongue under the fold of skin at the tip and swirled it on the underside of Lee’s dick. He’d only had this done to him once, and a few times to his previous partners, but he had gone through the motions to get the other person off. With Lee, he wanted him to be pleasured until he was begging to come. It was a new feeling compared to just having sex because it felt good.

Taking a deep breath, he parted his lips and took in the head of Lee’s cock in his mouth while he continued to run his tongue underneath the head, having to widen his jaw a bit to make room for the thick tip. With his mouth around Lee’s cock, he pushed himself up a little higher so he could cast fleeting glances on Lee’s face as he began to suck.

Lee groaned and his breath strained as he felt his erection being enveloped by Gaara’s hot mouth, and stroked by his wet tongue. Lee had only had two past relationships which had developed into anything physical, but in both cases the girls had treated doing this almost as if it were a chore, or they did whatever might get Lee off quickest. When Lee tugged at his wrist restraints and struggled to see what Gaara was doing, he caught the other man’s eye and realized that Gaara was enjoying this, and taking his time.

“Hah- _mmhnm_ \- Gaara-” Lee grunted, the muscles in his thighs jumping in appreciation as Gaara sucked.

Gaara’s hand pressed against Lee’s thigh to hold him steady as he began to bob his head in a slow rhythm, just getting a feel of having something stretching his mouth and spilling pre-cum on his probing tongue. It didn’t surprise him that Lee would enjoy this-- though if their roles had been reversed, it probably wouldn’t have been as easy to try fellatio with his friend. He moaned against the thick flesh muffling him as he tightened his thighs around Lee’s leg, trying to get more friction.

He liked the sound of his name in Lee’s voice. At the same time, he enjoyed the twitch of muscle under his fingers and the throbbing he could feel on his tongue as he tightened his lips around Lee and pulled up until his length slipped out of the tight suction with an audible pop. Gaara’s mouth was already starting to swell as he licked his lips once then went back to swirling his tongue over the sensitive head. It was time to see how long Lee’s famed self-control would last.

If his mind hadn’t already been in a very pleasured, hormone driven place, Lee would have been embarrassed by how loud his breath sounded as he panted. Gaara really seemed to know what would feel good, and wasn’t hesitating in the least. Lee’s stomach swirled and his dick pulsed with each of Gaara’s slick, hot flicks of his tongue or bob of his head. Lee could feel a tingling in his groin, and had to bite his lip with a gasp as Gaara teased his head.

“Gaara-” Lee said, almost under his breath as he strained to watch what Gaara was doing. He caught glimpses of that tongue, and it made his breath leave him in a gasp when he caught the glint in the redhead’s green eyes.

Gaara groaned in the back of his throat as he kissed the tip of Lee’s cock, his body beginning to tremble from the unsated arousal he had and the thin trickles of pre-cum that were starting to gain more flavor the closer Lee got to his peak. He slipped his hand past Lee’s balls, searching for the thin stretch of flesh just past them. When his fingers found his taint, Gaara swallowed down his length again and began to massage the area as he redoubled his efforts.

Bobbing his head in long, tight strokes, the round head of Lee’s length sometimes pressed against the inside of his cheeks, making them bulge from inside each time he went down on him. Gaara’s eyes were slits of green as tugged on the base of Lee’s dick with his hand.

“Ah- _oh_ -” Lee’s eyes widened and he groaned in the back of his throat as he saw the way his dick bulged against Gaara’s cheek. He jerked his hips and his hands became fists against the gauze as he felt himself reaching his limit. He finally came hard into Gaara’s mouth with a short groan of completion as his balls pulled up sharply. His senses were washed over by his orgasm as his dick pulsed in hot pleasure, and his body began to tingle delightedly.

“Woah,” Lee breathed, letting his head fall back with a sigh of relief. A dopey grin crossed his expression as he fell limp against his restraints.

“Ngh--” Gaara didn’t have time to pull away from Lee’s dick when his mouth was suddenly flooded with cum. He pulled back until just the head was past his lips, freezing as it pulsed hot, salty cum on his tongue. Inhaling in rapid gusts from his efforts, he finally let Lee’s dick fall from his mouth as he involuntarily swallowed some of the liquid before it spilled down his chin in thick globs.

Panting deeply, he wiped his mouth with his hand then crawled over the other man, cheeks flushed as oxygen rushed back into his lungs. He began to undo the knots he’d tied, struggling a little with the tightness after Lee’s constant pulling. “You came a lot.” He stated, glancing down at Lee with unfocused eyes, his body still aching for attention after all of that.

“Yeah,” Lee said, pulling his hands free when Gaara managed to untie the knots. He rubbed his wrists where his skin was imprinted with the gauze pattern, then glanced up at Gaara. His pulse, which had just begun to slow down, picked up again as he caught the look of need and desire in Gaara’s eyes, and the prominent bulge that was still in his pants. He sat up with a deep breath.

“Thanks,” Lee murmured, getting to his knees and wrapping his arms around Gaara tightly. “I think that was the best way I have ever been greeted in the morning.”

He kissed the other man’s cheek and neck as his hands slid down until he was reaching into Gaara’s loose pants. He wrapped his hand around Gaara’s erection and squeezed. “Mind if I return the favor?” He dragged his thumb over Gaara’s thick, damp tip and dragged his fingers down the length. It was odd, he thought in retrospect, touching Gaara’s dick. Not because he was another man, but because unlike him Gaara was circumcised. It felt different in his hand than his own.

Gaara's hands flew to Lee's shoulders, gripping them tight as if to push or pull him closer. A low, throaty moan made it past his lips unchecked as Lee's rough hand slipped into his pants without even waiting for him to agree to it. Shutting his eyes, his toes curled with the thumb brushing over his throbbing tip; his cock was already painfully sensitive after being aroused for so long. "Lee." He said tightly, gritting his teeth as his cock twitched in Lee's hand.

"You want...to-" He lifted his hips up to press against the light hold on him, keeping his eyes shut as he shifted his legs further apart. "I won't last long." He warned, still tasting Lee in his mouth. He hadn’t expected the other man to offer that, but it sounded like a great idea to his throbbing groin. “Do you know how to suck another man’s penis?”

“Only in theory,” Lee replied. In the back of his mind, he recognized that he must still be high on his orgasm to be able to hear Gaara say that without turning red and saying ‘um’ over and over again. Right now though, he was still feeling deliciously warm and pleased in his body, and his mind was fuzzy with endorphins.

Lee’s hand stroked slowly, squeezing and rubbing as his mouth kissed Gaara’s collarbone and the center of his chest. He pulled Gaara’s pants down from his waist, exposing his erection to fresh air. Lee ducked his lips lower on his boyfriend’s chest and glanced up at Gaara, his eyes pleased and relaxed. “Do you want me to try?”

Gaara’s eyes opened, meeting Lee’s relaxed gaze as he shuddered from the cool morning air hitting his length. Lee was very attractive when he was relaxed like this, missing the stutter that sometimes came when he was embarrassed. “Yes,” he breathed out, relaxing the tight hold on Lee’s shoulders. It was a relief to have the other man try these things himself and encouraged Gaara to suggest future explorations of their sexuality.

He slipped a hand through Lee’s bangs, brushing the strands from his forehead and keeping it there are he gently pushed him down. Gaara shifted his legs so that he was kneeling on the bed, chest heaving from the painful erection he had and Lee’s kisses.

Lee was definitely feeling more comfortable now, after his orgasm. He wanted to make Gaara feel as good, and see Gaara come because of his attention and touch. He bent down as Gaara guided him, until his face was close to his boyfriend’s erection. Lee slid his hand down the shaft until he was just gripping the base while his other hand was buried in the mattress somewhere near Gaara’s knee for balance. Lee started with just a simple kiss of his lips against the tip, feeling how warm it was and allowing himself to get used to the sensation.

Slowly dragging his lips down the side of the shaft, Lee allowed his tongue to wander out and drag along the taut skin. Lee wondered in the back of his mind if it would feel different for Gaara, since he was circumcised, or if he would be just as sensitive. Lee flicked his tongue as he dragged his lips back up, and pulled the head into his mouth. The taste in his mouth was musky, fleshy, and at the same time almost salty sweet. Lee licked at the bumpy shape in his mouth and stroked the length with his hand.

Gaara couldn’t tear his eyes away from the incredible sight of Lee going down on him. His mouth fell open in silent gasps as he felt the first lick on his cock. Hand tightening slightly around Lee’s hair, he shut his eyes with a soft moan with each following kiss and lick. Lee’s taste was still on his tongue and lips, and whenever he bit his lips from the inside, he was reminded of Lee coming inside his mouth. The thought had him shifting his hips forward little by little, encouraging the other man to continue.

“Lick...under...the head.” He murmured, nudging Lee’s head with his hand. “It’s sensitive there.”

Lee bobbed his head a little when Gaara’s hips came forward, closing his eyes as he widened his jaw to fit Gaara’s girth. He did as Gaara told him, dragging the flat of his tongue along the sensitive underside and then digging the tip into the small stretch where the head met the shaft. He swirled his tongue around the head, fascinated by the difference between textures on the head and the shaft. Lee was a man; he knew how a penis worked and what the parts were, but this was the first opportunity he’d had to examine one so closely, and especially in his _mouth_.

Lee flattened the width of his tongue and dragged it along the underside of Gaara’s cock as he bobbed his head shallowly under the other man’s hand. His fingers squeezed the base gently and stroked.

Gaara's breath, already quick and shallow, sounded more like pants with each lick and bob of his head. He was too close to coming, too heady with pleasure, drunk on the smell and taste of this man who was overcoming his boundaries for him. Gaara moaned low as he shifted back, bowing his head to stifle the heated gasps and groans Lee was eliciting from him, leaving him with a strange hissing noise as he breathed through his teeth, "Lee--"

With a shudder, his whole body tensed and he tried pushing Lee's head back as his orgasm crashed down almost violently after the prolonged arousal.

Lee pulled back just in time as Gaara came, eyes widening. Gaara’s cum missed his mouth, but got all over his hand and the sheets as Lee sat back on his heels. Lee put his other hand over his lips, grateful that Gaara had warned him and pushed him away in time. It would probably have been too much for him if he’d had another man’s cum in his mouth.

“I will be right back,” Lee said, pecking Gaara’s cheek and sliding off the bed. He walked quickly to the bathroom to wash up. This had been a nice surprise for their morning, but it was also messy.

Falling down against the bed, Gaara pressed the back of his head over his eyes and let out a long sigh of relief. All their rubbing and the eroticism of sucking each other off made it feel like his balls were empty even after just coming once. The kiss on his cheek lingered warm as he opened his eyes and saw that the sun was shining brightly into the room now.

He could hear the water running in the bathroom, and Lee’s real, solid, living body moving about. The nightmare he’d had was truly gone now, but there was death all around them, and that life he led before was long past going back to. He didn’t think he’d ever make that promise to Lee.

Lee came back to the bed just a couple minutes later, after having brushed his teeth and washed himself briefly with a cloth. He slid onto the mattress beside Gaara, laying on his side and watching the redhead closely. His mind wandered to their earlier conversation as well, but he didn’t know what he could possibly say to change Gaara’s mindset.

“Do you feel better now?” Lee asked, thinking that his boyfriend looked much more relaxed than when he’d woken up. Lee did too, for that matter.

“Yes.” Gaara replied after some time, pulling his hand away from his eyes and looking up at his boyfriend. He still wasn’t used to referring to Lee with that label; had never been comfortable referring to anyone as his ‘boyfriend’ even if he’d had relationships before. Lee had washed up and looked ready to take on whatever the day threw at him. Gaara glanced down at his own dirty and slightly sweaty body with a grimace before turning his head towards the other man.

“What are you going to do today?” He asked, idly scratching over his bandages. Now that blood was rushing to other parts of his body from his groin, the wound was starting to throb a little.

“Today I am doing surveillance for the hotel,” Lee ran his fingers through his hair and stretched his toes. “Temari wants someone to watch the area at all times for the raiders and zombies.”

Lee bent down and nuzzled at Gaara’s jaw once, then got off the bed and began searching for his pants. He tugged on a fresh set of underwear and glanced at the redhead over his shoulder. “What about you?”

Gaara’s lips twitched up in a faint smile as he slowly sat up, watching Lee get dressed. “I’m taking a shower first.” He said, wiping his hand on the covers and getting up as well. They’d have to take some sheets and pillows from the unused rooms of the hotel after this. “I need to talk to Naruto about the next supply run. They’re looking for a new route into the city now that there are raiders attacking the teams.”

He padded on bare feet towards the window, brushing aside the curtains and scouting the area below. With the change of the season, the smell of rot was much more prominent now that it was hotter. He frowned at the distant crowds of zombies that loitered around the side streets, some shuffling towards the hotel while others lay on the ground in mock poses of death. He turned back to the other man. “When my leg heals, I’ll help with the cleanup.”

“You will have to let me know what Naruto says, and if he brings up leaving again.” Lee pulled on his pants and zipped up, then raided his drawer for a comfortable shirt. He tugged a green one with short sleeves over his head and stepped up behind Gaara at the window, looking over the redhead’s shoulder at the scenery. If a person focused on looking at the horizon over the building tops instead of the bloody streets, it would almost be a pleasant view. Ever the optimist, Lee avoided looking down at the shuffle of dragging, rotting bodies. “How does your leg feel, by the way? If it is hurting you, maybe you should take it easy for a while.”

Gaara turned his gaze to Lee, eyes lidded with silent humor. “This is from someone who exercises after getting shot.” He reached out and rested his hand over where Lee’s arm was shot, relieved that the wound hadn’t been infected. That was one thing he was grateful to Sakura for-- she had teamed up with Moegi in making sure everyone who was hurt stayed put.

“Go on ahead.” He said. “Choji should have breakfast ready.”

“Alright.” Lee smiled at Gaara and squeezed his shoulder fondly. “I will see you down there before I have to take over surveillance.”

Lee slipped on his shoes by the door and walked out of the room without another word, but a fond grin on his face and a bounce in his step.


	16. Chapter 16

"We can start taking this street, and go the long way around," Naruto pointed out on the map, gesturing for Gaara to see. "We know it's mostly unblocked, and we haven't used it much yet. I would just need to take one of the trucks with a few people, and we can scout out some other routes on the way."

"No, if you take one of the trucks, you'll run the risk of getting it stuck if something happens. We can't risk a vehicle when there are raiders waiting to ambush us." Gaara traced another route with a chess pawn they were using to signify teams and individuals heading out. "If you're heading for the pharmacy here, just take a small team through the roofs and bring sacks. It's safer to do separate runs than one big loot."

One thing he refrained from saying was that Temari warned him about letting Naruto get one of the vehicles out of the hotel. Temari and Naruto had continued to butt heads about leaving the hotel for Konoha or staying, and it was causing a tension among the survivors. Gaara believed in his friend's vision, but he thought Naruto was too impulsive about this.

Naruto scowled and pulled back on his heels. He glared at Gaara out of the corner of his eye, clenching his hand around the king piece. "You don't trust me. You and Temari and everyone else aren't even trying to hide it. This is bullshit."

"Gaara has a point," Neji pointed out, frowning at the shift in Naruto's mood. His unique eyes watched the blond carefully. "We're running out of fuel, it'd be easier to go on foot and do raids in groups of two or three."

"One big run will get us more supplies with less time, and we won't be stuck out in the open with no cover. It's safer." Naruto set down his chess piece with a sharp click on the table and turned around with a small growl of frustration. He started walking toward the door. "I'm going to check on the watch posts. I'll be right back."

The sharpness in Naruto's voice and his brisk movements was unnatural, and Gaara stared after the blond man with a frown, a cold drop in his stomach at what Naruto said. Left with Neji, he moved back their pieces to represent the people at the mall, looking over the map moodily.

Neji glanced over at Gaara, lips tightening slightly at the little cues he recognized whenever Lee and Gaara did something. "Some of the blockades appeared when there were none before. I believe the raiders have started creating them and taking over districts of the city."

"All the more reason not to risk one of our trucks. It's easier to get away on foot." Gaara looked up at Neji, then exhaled through his nose. He and Neji still didn't see eye to eye, but the man was much more rational than he gave him credit for. They could be _civil_ to each other because of Lee, and that was enough for now. "Naruto needs to understand that."

"He's being stubborn. He'll come around when he comes back, but I don't think this will be the last we hear about it. He just needs to take a walk." Neji was already incredibly uncomfortable being in the room alone with Gaara. He didn't like the other man. He had tried to talk to Lee about why a relationship with Gaara was a bad idea, but Lee was firm in his decision and Neji had recognized the stubborn, immovable look in his friend's eye and let it drop.

Neji focused on the map, though he still paid attention to Gaara. "We should come up with a few new plans before he comes back, so it won't be easy for him to argue with us."

Gaara nodded and settled into silence as his thoughts ran around what to say to Naruto and what to make of this growing division between them. It was easier when all they had to think about was surviving on their own and what to do about the crisis, but when it came down to it, he wasn't surprised about the new developments.

The worst in human nature had always been the root of conflict, something Gaara knew very well.

* * *

"Sakura?" Lee entered the clinic, his skin shining red and from a fresh sunburn. He'd forgotten to protect himself with sunscreen today, and had spent the past several hours under the harsh glare of Suna sunlight. By the time someone had finally come to relieve him of his post, his skin was stinging and sensitive all across his face, neck, and down the exposed skin of his arms. "Are you busy?"

Moegi was listening to Sakura lecture about alternative ways to treat a fever when Lee came in. Both women looked up and gasped at the sunburn on Lee's skin, almost sporting identically growing glares.

"Lee, again?!"

"I told you to take care of yourself!"

Getting up from her seat, Sakura patted the chair and hooked a hand on her hip. "Moegi, could you get me some sunburn cream and aloe vera solution, please? And Lee, take off your shirt." After a moment's glance, she added, "Your bandages too. We'll change those into fresh ones."

Lee winced at the outburst from both girls, taking off his shirt as instructed and moving to the chair. "I am very sorry. I forgot my sunscreen in my room and I did not think I would need it this badly today. I thought it would be cloudy."

Untying the knot in his palm and carefully unwinding his bandages, Lee frowned as the edges of his hair tickled the pained skin on the back of his neck. He needed a haircut. Sunburn always hurt much worse than he would have guessed, or even from what he remembered in previous cases. Any brush of fabric or hair on the sensitive skin felt like he was being brushed with hot sandpaper.

Sakura brushed back her hair and studied the red skin along Lee's neck and back. Even the man's ears were burnt! She shook her head as Moegi handed her the cream. "You should have taken an umbrella with you." She chided as she began spreading the cool cream along his shoulders. Even back in the mall, she'd had to mend the light wounds and aches that everyone got at one time or another. Lee's naked chest didn't bother her, but she blanched when she caught sight of a hickey on his neck.

"You look like a lobster." Moegi teased lightly as she added aloe vera to the worst of the burns. She glanced between Lee and Sakura curiously, remembering the time when the two had almost moved to dating. "Miss Sakura has her hands full dealing with you and Naruto. You're both stubborn."

Lee tensed under the small sting of the cream, but grinned at Moegi. He could already feel some relief from the cream itself, but the action of rubbing it in set his oversensitive nerves on pain. He shuddered as Sakura's hands rubbed across where his shirt's neckline had been.

"I think I feel like a lobster, who was taken out of the kettle just before he is done cooking." Moegi giggled at him and treated his burned red cheekbones gently. Lee continued, "While I am here, Sakura, would you please tell me about Gaara's wound? He explained what happened, but not how serious it is. Should I be making sure he's careful?"

"Gaara's wound is superficial." Sakura dismissed quickly, unconsciously digging her fingers against Lee's back as she added another dollop of cream.

Glancing at the other woman in surprise, Moegi noticed the set of her jaw and the tight knot between her brows. "What? But Miss Sakura, he hasn't even had a checkup since he got shot!"

Sakura shook her head. " _He_ can take care of himself. I'm not dealing with his attitude."

"Ah- _ow_. Gaara had an attitude?" Lee winced at Sakura's roughness. "I am sorry. I know he can be rude sometimes. Did he say something?"

Lee dug his fingertips into his jeans, partially from the ache in his skin, but also with worry. Gaara should at least come back to the clinic once or twice to make sure he wasn't getting an infection.

Sakura closed the lid of the cream and set it down with a loud thump on the table. "Being rude's the least of it! He threatened to kill me, Lee! All because I said you and I talked about him sometimes!" Her face had gone a shade of red in anger.

Eyes wide, Moegi froze with her hand still poised to spread more of the aloe vera along Lee's neck. The girl swallowed, this being the first time she'd seen Sakura mad.

"He shouldn't be able to get away with saying things like that." Sakura looked away, remembering the hurtful words Gaara had said. It wasn't his business to tell her off like that.

Lee's eyes widened and he swung around in his chair to look at Sakura. "He said that?"

His brows furrowed. Gaara and Sakura had never been fond of each other, Lee knew that, but it was hard to imagine his boyfriend threatening Sakura's life over something trivial. But he didn't think that Sakura would lie about it, either.

"I am sorry, Sakura," Lee said earnestly. "I will talk to him tonight. You are right, no one should say things like that here. Maybe... Moegi, would you come and check on Gaara's wound tonight?"

"I'll look at it tonight." Moegi agreed, looking worriedly at Sakura as the pink-haired woman unrolled a fresh set of bandages. Speaking softly, she murmured to Lee, "Maybe I should leave you two to talk about that." She handed Lee the little tube of aloe vera solution. "You can have Gaara put that on your burns later." With that, she excused herself and headed out of the makeshift clinic.

Sakura still wasn't looking at Lee as she began to bandage his arm again. The strain of having so many of their people hurt from raider attacks and from having to do runs in the city often, was also taking its toll on her. She was glad to find Lee alive together with everyone who'd left the mall before, but the worst part about it was in realizing that she was still lonely amidst the people at the hotel. Naruto was too full of ideas about life being better in Konoha, and Sai was increasingly distant with more people to joke around with. And now Lee was with that _redhead_. It made her feel sick.

Lee frowned down at the tube of aloe vera in his hands, trying to ignore the residual sting in his skin. He glanced at Sakura as she worked. Like Moegi, he hadn't seen her mad before. Gaara must have really pushed a nerve.

"Do you know why Gaara would say something like that?" he asked, in a tone that suggested she didn't have to answer.

The light green of her eyes flared when Sakura met Lee's gaze, and if she had been any fiercer, her expression would almost resemble Gaara's when he looked at people with such intensity. "He thinks I was cruel with you." She said, pursing her lips. "But I don't even think he's capable of loving anyone. I think he just wants someone to control."

She tightened the bandages a little around Lee's arms to lock in the cream. "I'm not discouraging you, okay? But I'm your friend and I'm worried about the kind of relationship you're having with him."

Lee winced, sucking in a breath through his teeth. He wondered how long it usually took for sunburn to heal. He looked at Sakura and was surprised by her ferocity.

"Sakura... I really appreciate your concern, but you do not know Gaara like I do. He is not the same person when we are alone that he is when everyone else sees him. I am going to talk to him tonight about what he said to you."

At Lee's reply, Sakura frowned at him unhappily and sighed. "That's what people say in an abusive relationship. I'm not looking for an apology from him. I just want to know that you're not setting yourself to get hurt in the long run." Tying the knot at the end of Lee's bandages, she took his other arm in hand but paused.

Looking at his face, she exhaled heavily. "Everyone here is feeling the pressure, especially with Naruto and Temari fighting often. I can't say that I agree completely with either of them, but I don't like how Temari's not even hearing Naruto out. You're too close to the Sabaku family to see that their morals are going to destroy what humanity is left in us."

"I do want to go to Konoha, but I do not think now is the right time. Everyone is trying to work out a better plan," Lee said. He was starting to feel uncomfortable with the way Sakura was questioning his relationship. A small part of him that still felt rejected by the woman seemed to like her concern, but more than that he felt she was overstepping her boundaries at this point, and he didn't like it. "How long will it take for my burns to heal?"

"They should ease up after a few days." Sakura assured Lee as she wrapped up Lee's arm quickly. If she caught on to Lee's discomfort, she didn't let it show as she tied the end of the bandage into a knot on the back of Lee's hand. Stepping back, she nodded at Lee. "Okay, you're good to go."

"Alright, thank you, Sakura." Lee stood up and tucked his tube of aloe vera into his pocket. He gave his friend a brief smile, and started toward the door. "I will come back later for a check-up when you are not busy."

* * *

"Gaara? Can I talk to you?" Lee caught up with his boyfriend down one of the halls not far from a recreation room. It wasn't quite late yet, but it was getting dark past the hotel windows. Everyone who wasn't on watch was settling down for the evening.

Gaara slowed down his hobbling stride when he heard Lee call him. Looking over his shoulder, the stiffness in his body seemed to relax just at the sight of the other man, and he leaned against one of the walls to rest his leg. "Lee." He nodded, his eyes dark in the orange glow peering over the distant rooftops and electricity lines of the city. "Is there any coffee left in the hotel?" He asked, giving light to what he'd been looking for with single-minded determination.

"I do not know." Lee didn't drink coffee, preferring vitamins or energy drinks when he could find them. He glanced down at Gaara's leg with a furrowed brow. "I asked Moegi to come to our room tonight and check on your leg. Is it true that you threatened Sakura?"

The sudden question pierced through the comfortable haze Gaara had been in with the afternoon heat, and his eyes blinked open in full awareness. "...Was that what she said? It was just a warning to stay away." He snorted and looked away, moving again down the hall with a scowl tugging on his lips.

"Gaara!" Lee's eyes widened at the redhead's implied admission and he walked quickly to catch up. He put a hand on Gaara's shoulder. "You cannot threaten other people here! Sakura is my friend."

Lee's grip wasn't strong, but Gaara stumbled a little when his weight shifted on his bad leg. He stopped in his tracks and sucked in a breath. "No. She's someone you used to adore." He replied quietly, something catching in his chest at the way Lee phrased his words. It wasn't like he went around threatening everyone. He turned to face the other man, face expressionless. "Is that all?"

"No." Lee frowned, hurt. He hadn't really seen the mask that Gaara sometimes put up since they'd become an item, until now. He crossed his arms. "Why did you tell her to stay away? What happened? She was really upset."

Gaara's gaze lingered on Lee's crossed arms- taking it as a nonverbal cue of Lee's annoyance with him. "I reminded her of what you used to do for her, and her leeching off of your efforts. I don't see why you're still friends with her." His brows tensed as he gripped the ledge next to the hotel's windows. "Even now you're still coming to her rescue when she's upset."

"Gaara, I do not feel that way about Sakura anymore," Lee said. He was a little surprised at Gaara's explanation. He shook his head. "All that is in the past, it should not matter now. What does it matter if we are friends? And I am not rescuing her; I would confront you if you had threatened anyone in this hotel. We should not be fighting among each other, there is enough going on outside to worry about already."

"It matters." Gaara replied, jaw clenching visibly with the shadows playing over his skin. "She's just your friend but you're acting like I attacked her." His pulse felt solid in his wrists and chest, even when Gaara felt like the ground was giving way under his feet. "...I told her that I wouldn't hesitate to protect you if she caused you pain again. I see now that it wasn't needed."

"No, it was not. I do not need you to protect me, Gaara." Lee had meant to diffuse the situation by talking to Gaara, but the redhead was being stubborn. He couldn't even see how he had stepped out of line. Lee put a hand over his face with a frown, then winced as he accidentally touched his burned skin. He recrossed his arms tighter and continued. "Maybe when we are outside and surrounded by zombies I want you to watch my back, but in here with other living people I can look out for myself. And how is Sakura supposed to hurt me if I do not care about her like that anymore? Do you not trust me?"

Gaara's eyes were narrowed by the time Lee ended. The sunburn on Lee's skin was noticeable when he stepped into the low light from the windows, and strangely enough, made it harder to accept what was sounding too much like a parent reprimanding a child. "I don't trust her." He said sharply, something painfully raw creeping into his eyes. "She didn't pay attention to you before, but the moment we went back to the mall, she was all over you."

He always said that he could take care of himself, but when it was Lee saying these things, he had little defence to block the sting of betrayal he felt. "One word from her, and you've already taken her side. But all those times anyone said something about me, you never confronted them about it. What am I supposed to think about that?"

"I spoke up for you to Kiba! And everyone else is just being ignorant, there is no reasoning with people like that." Lee sighed, frustrated. "If you did not trust her, why did you not talk to me, first? You should have just talked to me."

"About what? I never stopped you from being friends with her even when I don't like it." Gaara blinked away the sudden sting behind his eyes. His hand was clenching the window ledge hard enough for his knuckles to whiten. It wasn't even about Sakura anymore. He'd been glad that he and Lee were getting past the little hurdles of a relationship, but now they were fighting again. "I thought you understood that I would kill before seeing you get hurt in any way. I trust you to believe me when I say I'm just making a point. Sakura's just your friend, but you're _mine_ now."

"I know that!" Lee snapped. "I believe you, but it bothers me that you did not say anything to me first if you were feeling threatened by her. I care about you much more than I do Sakura, we could have worked something out. But you cannot control everything about our relationship, Gaara. I am going to get hurt by other people and on missions whether you are there or not, and that is okay, but now you have alienated the person who can take the best care of you while you are hurt. Sakura said she would not deal with you anymore, and I had to ask Moegi to check on you in our room!"

"Sakura couldn't accept the truth of what I told her." Gaara's hand went to his leg, gripping the fabric of his pants. "There's not much I can do to keep you from getting hurt. You put yourself at risk too many times for that. But there are some things I _can_ and _will_ do because that's who I am. I thought you knew that."

"Gaara," Lee sighed, exasperated. Lee bit the inside of his lip and looked past the redhead out the window for a few seconds, his eyes tight. He didn't know what he had expected Gaara to say. Now Lee understood better what Gaara had said to upset Sakura, and obviously why, but he still didn't agree with it. Gaara had been changing a lot under Lee's influence, and even viceversa, but Gaara was right when he said that this type behavior was just who he was. Once Gaara had something he felt he needed to protect, Lee had witnessed firsthand how intense his dedication could become. Their conversation from this morning was replaying in Lee's head, reminding him that their relationship involved a mild suicide pact.

"Yeah, I know that." Lee's eyes refocused on his boyfriend's face and his arms fell to his sides. "We will just work with Moegi from now on, unless something serious goes wrong. She is a good medic, too. I think she will be at our room soon, so will you please go meet her? I have clean up duty in the dining hall tonight." Lee turned around and walked back down the hall without making sure that Gaara would comply.

Gaara followed Lee's retreating back with the low light's shadows falling over his face. His hand had moved up to clutch the loose fabric of his shirt tightly before he turned away and headed down the other side of the hall.

* * *

Temari bopped the wooden edge of her fan against her thigh with her gaze far away in thought. The old gentleman's club had ironically ended up as her hot spot for keeping an eye on everyone. But right now her mind was elsewhere, not even bothering to compete with the man opposite her the way she usually did when they played a game like this. Incidentally, her battleships were already crossing over to his side.

With just a few candles lighted, it was almost the perfect atmosphere for a date. But she was more interested in what Shikamaru had to say about their resident Akatsuki members. "How often has Sasori been talking to Deidara?"

"A few times a day, when they can manage." Shikamaru watched their game with narrowed- or possibly bored- eyes. He glanced up at Temari, gaze lingering on the shine of dim candlelight as it reflected in her grayish eyes. "I've been distracting Sasori to where they only have the chance once or twice, but I can only do that for so long until he shakes me off or gets suspicious."

"Make sure you hear what they're talking about. I can't have Sasori converting people to his plans when there's unrest among us." Temari lifted her eyes from the game, the green in them now visible from the yellow light. She raised her brow at the gaze Shikamaru had on her. Her lips quirked up in a smirk as she moved her piece forward. "I'm going to defeat you this time."

She sat back and cracked open her fan, fanning herself to alleviate the heat from the candles.

"That so?" Shikimaru mirrored her smirk and leaned back against his seat. He move one of his tiny naval boats around the edges of the board and shrugged. "You said that last time, too. And then you threw a tantrum when I won anyway. You aren't very good at this game."

"I don't throw tantrums." Temari snapped, the smirk inverting into a scowl. She studied the board, predicting a few moves onward then moved her center ship to the side in attack formation. The games they played were annoying at first, with the uneven number of wins and losses she had over Shikamaru. But they were good at keeping her mind sharp while running the community they had.

Calming herself down, she voiced out what was on her mind. "Kiba and Hinata have made up. And it looks like Neji has a truce with him. How are Choji and Ino?" The other blond woman had initially tried to cause drama when she learned of Shikamaru's time with her, but Temari had settled that issue with her before it fell through. She liked Choji well enough, especially the way he made tasty dishes out of the meager supplies they had.

"They're fine. They like it here." Shikamaru idly moved one of his battleships sideways, cornering one of Temari's. He tapped his fingers on the top of the table in thought.

"Are we dating? As much as people can be dating in this troublesome situation."

Temari's eyes flashed at the unexpected question. "Dating? What are you talking about?" Brows furrowing in suspicion, she narrowed her gaze at him. "Are you trying to distract me so you can win the game?"

Shikamaru had an expression that was harder to decipher compared to Gaara's. If he was being serious... Temari set her fan on the board. "Or are you really saying you wanted to date me?"

"I'm asking if we're already are dating. It's a clarifying question." Shikamaru raised a brow down at her fan. "If not that's fine, but if so I want to know so we can move on from all the troublesome flirting."

Temari's face was progressively turning red at Shikamaru's taunting and the insinuations he was making. "No, we're not. And even if we were, saying how _troublesome_ flirting is, isn't winning you any points." She moved her battleship out of Shikamaru's pieces' way and attacked the smaller vessels with her center ship with the roll of the dice.

His lazy personality and the taunts were already annoying enough. How did that equate to dating in Shikamaru's mind. "Where did that thought come from anyway?" She pressed.

"I was gonna try and kiss you if we were dating." Shikamaru skirted one of his little ships along the edge again. He narrowed his eyes at Temari's attack formation. "But if we weren't dating, I didn't want to make the effort. You'd hit me, and it would be too much work."

Temari's look was withering with Shikamaru's lazyass reasoning, before she leaned forward and socked him on the shoulder. "You're too lazy to flirt, and too lazy to even make the first move! Why don't you just come out and say you liked me and wanted to date?"

Shikamaru clutched his shoulder and gave Temari an annoyed look. She'd hit him anyway, even though he hadn't tried anything. "We've been flirting already, I just wanted to move on if we were going to. If I had said I wanted to date you, would it make a difference?"

"It might." Temari picked up her fan again, peering at Shikamaru with a piercing look that seemed natural to the Sabaku line. "For the record, your flirting skills suck if that's why we're playing these games. Ask me again."

"Temari Sabaku, will you date me?" Shikamaru's voice held the air of someone who was forced to play along with a long, exasperating game, but his expression was temporarily sincere as he propped his head in his hand and smirked at the woman.

Temari mirrored the man's smirk and crossed one leg high over the other. "Yes, pick me up from my room tomorrow before noon and convince Choji to crack open that can of olives he's been saving. Don't be late." If Shikamaru was serious about this, she was going to see him get off his ass and prove it. Amidst the rush of satisfaction she felt, the corners of her mouth twitched down as she realized that _this_ was flirting with the Nara boy.

Shikamaru nodded in agreement, though he seemed to mutter something along the lines of 'troublesome' under his breath. He looked down at the board and frowned. "You've got me really outnumbered. I don't think I can win this one. I give up. Has anyone gotten back to you about Zetsu yet?"

"Zetsu has been spending more and more time in his garden. He hasn't spoken to anyone about the Akatsuki as far as I know." Temari tempered her annoyance at having Shikamaru give up. It wasn't a proper victory, but they had to talk about important things. "I don't think he's a danger at the moment. I'm more concerned with Naruto and this ridiculous plan of his."

"It's not _that_ ridiculous." Shikamaru sat back in his chair with his hands behind his head as he spoke. "There are probably survivors in Konoha, and it can't be any more dangerous than what Suna's becoming. He has a good plan laid out."

"He's thinking of an ideal. We don't have enough gas yet to make a trip to Konoha, and even if we were to take all three of the trucks, that doesn't eliminate the possibility of Konoha being worse off." Temari pointed out, tapping her fan against her elbow. "I've already arranged for the teams to bring back any fuel they find, but again, the raiders are making it hard to venture outside of our area."

She snorted at the tiny whisper of helplessness she felt. Temari was a mover of situations, while Kankuro and Gaara usually did the shaking up. She was starting to feel the steady approach of walls on all sides of their situation, and she didn't like it. Looking down at the board, she murmured, "This warrants a rematch, by the way."

"We can play later." Shikamaru started to pick up his ships and set them into a small case on the side of the table. He watched Temari's expression carefully, having grown accustomed to reading her beyond her family's constant mask. "You're doing a good job here. You've got a better setup than Naruto ever had at the mall, and just about everyone listens to you. I thought Gaara was gonna take everyone over or kill trying, but even he answers to you."

Temari shifted in her seat at the unexpected compliment. She raised her eyes to meet Shikamaru's evenly. "Thank you. But don't talk about my brother that way. Gaara is a natural born leader, but he doesn't hurt others to gain respect." She glanced up when the door to the room opened and Konohamaru poked his head in.

Grinning, Konohamaru ushered Matsuri, Sari and Udon inside. "So you guys _are_ dating! Wait til I tell Moegi about this!"

"Jeez, troublesome teenagers," Shikamaru said, smirking. He raised a brow at them. "Were you listening or did you just get here?"

"We just got here, but with all the candles and private time it's obvious, isn't it?" Matsuri giggled.

"I just asked out Temari officially. Go gossip about it." Shikamaru finished collecting the pieces and folded the board for later.

"Don't encourage them." Temari got to her feet and perched her hand against her hip, a rare smile on her face. "Remember- tomorrow before noon." She said, slipping her fan in her wide belt before the smile turned into a grin and she headed out the door.

* * *

It was getting a bit late by the time Lee got back to their room. He wasn't sure what time it was, but most other people had gone back to their rooms for the night. After finishing clean up he'd walked up the hotel stairs all the way to the roof and back a few times to help clear his head.

The door opened with only a small murmur from the hinges as he poked his head into his bedroom. He blinked a couple times as his eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, and he moved quietly to his side of the bed. He crawled under the covers and laid his head on his pillow with a quiet, tired sigh. He could feel the other depression in the mattress where Gaara lay.

Gaara was awake despite the silence in the room. He was looking at the tiny cracks that were starting to form on the hotel's ceiling, just visible from the moonlight shining through the window. Lee's efforts to stay quiet as he slipped in beside him weren't necessary. The redhead stayed silent as he blinked half-lidded eyes in the dark, his leg propped up on a pillow in the same position it had been when Moegi finished wrapping a bandage over it. Even the young girl had said, out of the blue, that Gaara shouldn't be 'mean' to Lee's friends.

Pulling the covers up higher, he thought he could still smell the residual musk from that morning's intimacy, even when he'd already changed the sheets earlier.

"Are you awake?" Lee asked softly. He knew by now that Gaara took a long time to fall asleep. He had almost been expecting Gaara to be awake when he got back, no matter how late. "What did Moegi say?"

Gaara's kept his eyes on the ceiling as he replied just as quietly, "It's healing. I need to keep the bandages dry." He felt a familiar numbness settle in his chest as he swallowed.

"That is good, then," Lee said, relieved. He'd been worrying. He paused in the quiet for a few seconds. "...Are you angry with me for confronting you earlier?"

"No." Gaara knew Lee was the kind of person who would not stand for anyone hurting or even insulting his friends. It was still painful to have him defend Sakura and argue with him. "I'm disappointed you did."

"What do you mean by that?" Lee started to lay on his side toward Gaara, but winced and stayed on his back when the tender skin on his neck rubbed the pillow. "How did you think I would react?"

"When Sakura told you about it, I would have expected you to just tell her that I cared. You would have stood by me even if she got mad at you." Gaara finally craned his neck to face the other man. "I wanted you with me when Moegi saw to my leg."

Lee's brow creased, casting shadows across his profile in the dim, filtered moonlight. Slowly, he slid his arm beneath the covers until his hand was just touching Gaara's. "I love you, Gaara. And I love that you are protective of me. But I was more upset that you did something like this without telling me, than because you actually said anything to her. Hearing it from Sakura first made it seem like you had gone behind my back." Lee sighed, suddenly feeling exhausted. "I really did have cleaning duty today. I promise to be there next time."

Gaara's fingers brushed against Lee's, mindful of the sunburn he'd seen earlier. "You forgot to wear sunblock again." He murmured. "I wasn't going behind your back. Sakura said you talked to her about us. I didn't understand why you still talked to her or why you discussed our relationship with her. That was what started it." He snorted before rolling onto his side and placing his hand on Lee's hip. "...she overreacted too."

"I believe you, Gaara. I could have even guessed that, based on the way her fingers dug into my skin when I mentioned you." Lee winced at the memory, but turned his head toward Gaara as best he could without touching the tops of his ears to the pillow. He could just make out Gaara's outline in the dark, from his messy hair to the shape of his shoulders and the blankets over his body. "I went to the clinic after my shift today to get lotion for my sunburns, and that's when she brought it up. I asked about how to take care of your leg, and she flipped out."

Gaara's eyes were gleaming in the moonlight though the side of his face was shadowed by Lee's profile. "She doesn't approve of me. But she has no place knowing what goes on between us. She let her chance with you go a long time ago. I'm the one who gets to touch you and make you feel good now."

Lee finally smirked softly at Gaara's reasoning. He slipped his hand over Gaara's on his hip and squeezed. "You almost sound jealous. But you are right. It is none of her business. All that I told her was about how happy I am with you, nothing more personal than that."

Something in Gaara unwound at Lee's words. He pushed himself up on his elbows and bent down to kiss Lee fleetingly, mindful of his sunburnt skin. His eyes were slits reflecting only a sliver of moonlight as he stared down at the other man. "Things are hard enough without fighting over a misunderstanding." He murmured, his voice clearly annoyed. "You're lucky you're a welcome complication."

Lee chuckled, relieved that the tension between them was finally gone. He reached up and ran his fingers through Gaara's hair, playing with the outline of the messy locks from what he could see in the dark. "As an upside to this, we get to have make-up sex. Preferably when my skin does not hurt anymore, though."

"The moment your skin heals." Gaara agreed, a pleasant tingle jolting through his scalp at the fingers running through his hair. Since the epidemic, every moment was important so even the brief argument had made an impact. "...Get some rest. Moegi reminded me to put aloe vera on your burns. I'll do it in the morning." He laid back down beside Lee, regretfully letting the man's fingers slide down from his hair.

"Goodnight, Gaara." Lee fidgeted for a few seconds until he was comfortable, and then relaxed with a sigh. It had been a long day, but the night felt better already.


	17. Chapter 17

In a recreation room just a floor or so above the dining hall, all of the furniture had been pushed against the walls. The linoleum floor was wide and bare, perfect for sparring.

Lee grinned, flushed and sweating as he circled Neji carefully. They’d been at it for almost an hour now, and he’d almost forgotten how much of a work out his friend could give him. Neji never missed anything. When Lee thought he was at a good angle for attack, he suddenly ran forward and brought his leg out in a wide sweep to knock Neji down from the back of his knees.

Neji leaped over Lee’s kick and countered it with a graceful one of his own. The last time the two of them sparred was when they were still kids, and Neji could see new patterns in his friend’s moves. Gai had been Neji’s martial arts teacher back then, and Lee his partner and self-declared rival. The long-haired man leaned towards Lee and began a series of punches that seemed to come one after another.

Lee managed to dodge the kick, but grunted and threw his arms up as the first few blows hit him and knocked out his breath. He stumbled back, but Neji seemed to follow him and easily got through his blocks, leaving stinging blows throughout his midsection. Lee finally caught one of Neji’s wrist and tried to flip the other man over his shoulder with one powerful pull.

Neji gripped Lee’s wrist with his own, using the force of the man’s pull to flip himself back. Neji's other hand shot out to grip the back of Lee's neck as he landed, but didn't squeeze. "You're dead." He said, sweat trickling down his forehead and strands of hair falling loose from his hair tie. He still hadn't cut it since the start of the epidemic, and it was even longer than Hinata's now.

He let go of Lee and yanked his wrist back. "You've improved a lot since I last sparred with you." He acknowledged.

“You have, too!” Lee grinned and turned to clasp his friend’s shoulder. His breath was fast and a bit wheezy, but his words were clear. If smiles could blind, Lee’s would have maimed with his excitement. “That was a great match! I cannot believe that we have not sparred here before now! Your skills are still better than mine, but I think that if we tried again I could beat you!”

“Maybe one out of five matches.” Neji replied with a small smile. He’d been assigned too many missions by Temari that he rarely had time to sit down with his friend and talk. He turned to one of the tables pushed up against the wall and got the energy drinks they'd brought from the mall, throwing one to Lee. "Your hand-to-hand's well coordinated. Those sparring matches with Gaara are paying off. Gai would be proud." He popped the can and drank the slightly chilled liquid.

He still didn't like the redhead, remembering the time he'd walked into Lee and Gaara on the floor. Their relationship was no secret now, but he did _not_ want to catch his friend with another man on top of him.

Lee twisted the top off his bottle and took a long, grateful pull with a thirsty ‘ah!’ He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and sat down on one of the benches that had been pushed against the wall.

“Thanks, Neji. That means a lot.” Lee took another swig and grinned at his friend. “You should try sparring with Gaara once, too. He is getting pretty good. He beat me last week with a few distraction techniques.” Lee decided not to mention _how_ Gaara had managed to distract him, but the concept was useful.

Neji sat down next to Lee and leaned back against the wall with a heavy breath. “I doubt he'd want to spar with me." He said, evading the real criticism on his tongue.  He turned to his friend, observing the happy glow that surrounded him. Lee had always been a cheerful person besides the occasional moment of depression. But there was a quiet joy that lit up his eyes when he talked about his boyfriend. Neji could understand that, even if he couldn't imagine the rest. Didn't want to.

"What will you do if Naruto decides to leave but Temari wants to stay?" He asked instead.

“Oh, that is not an easy decision.” Lee ‘hmmed’ and took another drink while he thought. “Probably whatever Gaara wants to do. I think he wants to go to Konoha, but if Temari stays I cannot imagine them wanting to split up after they already lost each other once. I would not mind staying, if we could get some of the dangers from raiders under control.”

"Staying with family is important." Neji set his empty can beside him and crossed his arms. "I'm going with Naruto when he decides to leave. Hinata's coming with me no matter what Inuzuka says. She's safer at our clan house."

He pressed the back of his head against the wall, trying to take in the cool temperature from the structure. "Do you think Gaara would do the same for you? There's a chance that Gai's still alive."

Lee’s grin faltered at that, but came back more softly as he thought about his boyfriend. His heartbeat was finally slowing down as he rested. “Yes, I am sure that Gaara would go with me. I really hope that Gai is okay after all, but... we cannot know that. On the other hand, I know for a fact that Temari is here, so we should do our best to make sure she and Gaara are not split up again.

“If we could go to Konoha though...” Lee’s eyes lifted to the ceiling, unfocused as his mind wandered. “It would be nice to look for my uncle.”

“Perhaps you should speak to him about it.” Neji suggested. “Naruto isn’t going to wait long for Temari to understand. It’s getting more dangerous to venture out into the city everyday.”

He was about to say more when a loud crash sounded from below the windows of the room followed by shouts. Neji sprang to his feet and looked out the window, catching sight of one of the trucks crashing into a few cars blocking the hotel's driveway before turning a corner and disappearing into the city. "Downstairs!" He called to Lee, his face scrunched. That couldn't be Naruto already taking the truck, could it?

Lee was on his feet immediately, glancing out the window to see the truck just in time before he dashed across the room and ran for the stairs. On his way to the basement a couple other people joined him, but no one knew what had just happened.

“Sai, get those doors shut right now! Naruto, help him before zombies get inside! Baki, check the other vehicles for damage!” Temari was already in the basement, giving orders and keeping everyone to task. It looked like the doors to the basement had been damaged, and someone who’d been on guard duty over the vehicles was sitting against the wall with blood dripping from his hair on one side with Sakura already attending to him.

The basement doors were already being pulled close, but the destructive sounds had already drawn zombies down the ramp. Gaara arrived with his crossbow in hand, adding long-range support as Sai and Naruto worked to get the shutter like doors shut again.

Temari spotted Lee and barked out, “Lee, we have one injured. Get Shikamaru to the clinic with Sakura. Everyone, get back! You’re drawing walkers inside!” Smoke was rising inside the basement as fire licked the edge of the ramp. The zombies who were already moving down were ablaze, the stench of rot and smoke filling the air as one of them got its head between the doors.

Gaara’s arrow pierced it in place, and Sai yelled out as a burning arm reached past the corpse and took hold of his arm.

“Shit! Somebody help him!” Naruto’s brow was shiny with sweat as the heat of the fire outside heated the shutter doors. He couldn’t even reach out to help Sai with his full weight pressed on the doors.

Lee raced across the basement until his body was pressed flush with the door on the side opposite Naruto, and threw Sai back by his shoulder, ripping his arm free from the zombie’s grasp. The man cried out in pain as he stumbled to the floor, clutching at the burns on his arm. Lee shouted at him “Sai! Go to the clinic with Sakura and Shikamaru! I have the door!”

The moans from the other side of the door grew louder and the hand that had clung to Sai reached for Lee, but he barely managed to stay out of its grasp. He shoved against the door, holding the dead at bay as the pressure increased on the other side with the force of more collective bodies.

“Lee, we’ve gotta get the fuckers back!” Naruto hissed, shoving against his door. “If we can just get them shut, we can bolt the doors!”

Gaara’s eyes widened when he saw Lee at the doors, his fingers moving automatically as he fired another bolt at the arm reaching for the men. Smoke was entering the basement as more zombies caught fire, and the red glow of emergency lights cast the basement in a hellish haze.

“I’ll take him!” Choji assured Sakura as he pushed past the few stunned onlookers who hadn’t moved at Temari’s command. He slipped Shikamaru’s arm over his shoulders and hefted the man to his feet, his friend half-unconscious from a bleeding cut on his head and bruises along his body.

Just when the doors seemed to burst open from the weight outside, Hinata and Kiba were crying out a, “Make way!” as Kiba fired his shotgun at the bodies. One of the remaining trucks was backing up towards the doors, Baki’s stern face reflected on the side mirrors as he maneuvered the truck.

“Good idea! Keep the pressure off the doors, Kiba!” Naruto ground out.

Lee coughed roughly as the disgusting stench of burning flesh filled his nose from the zombies between the cracks of the doors, only worsened by the growing cloud of smoke. His eyes watered as his muscles shook against the growing pressure on the doors. He flinched violently as Kiba shot again, the sound of the shotgun incredibly loud in the space of the basement. Just when he thought he couldn’t handle it anymore, Baki’s truck reached the doors and pushed them successfully closed. Lee and Naruto stepped out of the way just in time and slid the bolts shut. Limbs that had still been caught in the cracks were severed by the pressure and fell to the floor, some still crackling with flames and emitting a sick black smoke from the fleshy char.

Hinata leaped onto the tail-bed of the truck, a heavy bucket in hand and her eyes narrowed with determination. She doused the doors as best she could, aiming for the cracks between the doors and the walls, and handed the empty bucket down to Kiba, who passed her another full one.

“We saw the smoke before we got down here. More people are bringing buckets. You guys okay?” Kiba shouted over the noise of living voices, moans from outside, and the thrumming engine of the truck.

“Yeah,” was all Naruto could answer between coughs as he backed away from the smoke. Lee raised his hand in a thumbs up, his eyes still watery as he tried to catch his breath again.

“Keep those doors shut.” Temari said, making way for the flow of people who arrived with buckets in tow. While they worked to put out the licks of fire from under the door and the surrounding debris, she covered her mouth with a handkerchief and made her way to Baki’s side. “Check the remaining trucks for damage. Neji, see what else Sasori and Deidara have taken with them.” Her eyes shifted towards the door briefly, dark with worry. “Is anyone else hurt?”

“We’re good.” Naruto pressed his palms against his knees as he hunched over, coughing still as he got his breath back.

Gaara still had his crossbow in hand when he approached the group. Catching Temari’s worried look, he said, “Go. We’ll make sure the doors hold.” Temari nodded curtly in thanks as she made her way to the doors.

The redhead moved to Lee’s side and ran his gaze down the soot on Lee’s clothes and face from where the zombie’s burning arm had brushed. He slapped Lee’s back as the man coughed. There was still smoke rising to the ceiling of the basement, but the air vents were drawing it away already.

Lee shot Gaara a grateful look as he regained his breath. He asked loudly, “What happened? Who did this?” 

“Fuck’n Sasori and Deidara!” Naruto walked around the truck to talk to the other men. “The assholes attacked Shikamaru while he was watching the vehicles and stole one of the trucks! Deidara was gonna blow up half the building’s foundation if Shikamaru hadn’t been there. They tried to fucking kill him, and drove right through the doors! Sai and me just got them back on the hinges when the zombies reached us. Sasori and Deidara are probably with the raiders by now, hoping the hotel burns to the fucking ground.”

“Did any zombies get through? Is anyone bitten?” Lee asked, his eyes wide as he glanced at the severed body parts still scattered around the door and smoking. 

“I don’t think so. Sai got burned, but I don’t know if he can get infected that way.” Naruto’s usually narrow eyes were wide with worry, his brow pulled together while his hands twitched.

“If Sakura can clean the burn wounds and disinfect it, I think Sai will be okay.” Kiba said, slipping his shotgun in its holder on his back when the line of buckets finally put out the flames. Hinata jumped down from the truck beside Kiba and ran her arm over her forehead with a sigh.

The man turned to her and smiled, holding out a closed fist. “Good thinking on the buckets, Hina. You were great.”

Bumping her fist against Kiba’s, Hinata smiled back before she turned worried eyes towards the other trucks. “T-They took some of our supplies, but t-thankfully n-not our f-food.”

Gaara frowned, his hand still on Lee’s back. The facts didn’t add up. Why would Sasori leave Zetsu at the hotel and take Deidara instead? The Akatsuki usually protected each other like a fraternity would. The facts didn’t settle well with him.

He stood straighter, assuming leadership with Temari gone. “We need to move the other truck away from this one in case the doors break down. Baki, move it close to the stairs. Kiba and Hinata, transfer anything you find in this truck to the other one but be careful of any explosives Deidara could have planted.” He turned to Naruto, his expression easing up from the hard mask it had become. Naruto had been holding up against the doors even after the flames heated them from outside. “...You should go to the clinic. Your hands have blisters.”

“I’m okay, I don’t need to go,” Naruto brushed off, shaking his hands as if to flick away any pain. He paused, glancing at the truck and around the chaos of the basement as he seemed to change his mind. “...But I should at least check on Sai. I wanna make sure he and Shika are okay.”

“Please help Sakura and Moegi if they need it.” Lee said as Naruto walked away. The blond nodded and waved before taking off at a jog. Lee glanced down at his own hands, but his bandages had protected him from the heat, and he hadn’t been holding the doors for as long as Naruto had.

Everyone fell into positions to carry out their instructions and regain order. The truck was unloaded and moved, and anyone who didn’t have a job to do was sent back to the upper levels of the hotel. The body parts that had fallen around the door were cleared away and thrown out of the building, though there were still streaks of dark blood and black char across the floor and walls, from both the zombies and Shikamaru.

Once the basement was clear and the streak of panic had died down, Gaara pulled Lee to the nearest restroom to brush away the soot on his clothes and face, and wash the char from his fingers. The redhead’s brows were knitted with the loss of their truck and the implications of Sasori on the loose, and he’d been quiet the whole way to the restroom.

Washing his arms at the sink, the redhead stared at the swirl of dirty water down the drain. “We don’t have enough vehicles to transport everyone to Konoha.” He said.

Lee stepped up behind Gaara and wrapped his arms around the other man’s waist, holding him gently and resting his cheek on Gaara’s shoulder. “Yeah. That is true.”

Lee sighed and closed his eyes. He could still taste the smoke from the burning bodies in the back of his throat. “What are we going to do?”

Lee’s body was a strong source of comfort behind him, and Gaara raised his eyes to look at him in the mirror. “There are other cars out there. It’s fuel that we need.” He said, taking in the sight of Lee’s worried brows and the soot that also powdered Lee’s face.

Twisting around, he pulled the sleeve of his shirt and wet it under the faucet, dabbing at Lee’s cheeks and nose to clear the dirt on it. His mind was on Temari and Naruto’s argument about staying or leaving, though. “There are small towns in the desert on the way to Konoha. We  might be able to use them as waypoints and transport people in groups, but they’re far from the city and could be filled with walkers. I’ll discuss our options with Temari. Even if we have limited fuel, we will need to risk it.”

Pragmatically, he also thought that the highways along the way would naturally be full of cars- people trapped in traffic during the initial outbreak while those seated beside them began to turn.

“That is a good plan. After something like this happened, I am sure Temari will come around.”

Lee leaned his face against Gaara’s wetted sleeve. The gentle strokes of cold water felt good on his dirty, grubby skin. He sighed again softly, his hands moving from Gaara’s waist to hold the bathroom counter on either side instead. “I am sorry I worried you earlier, when I ran for the door. You are really talented with that crossbow.”

“And you’re too impulsive.” Gaara’s voice was calm even when he was chiding the other man. He placed his other hand on Lee’s neck, holding him there as he continued to clean his face. “I don’t agree with Naruto wanting to take everyone to Konoha immediately, but the circumstances have changed now. We’re being boxed in this hotel. This place isn’t safe anymore.”

His gaze fell on Lee’s long lower lashes, even more visible with his eyes closed. He’d almost shot Lee when the man rushed to the doors. That had his blood freeze over anything else that happened that day. Leaning up, he pressed his lips against the clean lids of his eyes, murmuring, “Your sunburn’s gone.”

“Hn,” Lee hummed softly, waiting until Gaara had pulled back again to catch his lips softly with his own. Compared to the fighting, the death, and the heartache of betrayal and suspicion among the survivors, something as small as a kiss felt wonderful in contrast.

“I hope everyone is okay. I am going to check on the clinic in a couple minutes,” Lee murmured.

“Go on ahead.” Gaara replied, sliding his hands to Lee’s waist. It was tempting to pull Lee for a longer kiss, but now wasn’t the best time “I’m going to check Sasori and Deidara’s rooms.”

Lee nodded. He wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and hugged him tightly, warm and firm against the onslaught of the outside world’s neverending tests and trials. Lee had a feeling, antsy and difficult to describe growing in his gut as the day was progressing. He felt as though he were bracing himself for some final blow that would knock him down or crash down upon their haven of the hotel, yet how that could happen he was not certain. All he knew for a fact was that for the moment, for this very fleeting instant of time, he and Gaara were still safe together... but that it could not remain that way forever.

“Love you,” Lee said, turning his head to kiss Gaara’s ear before he let go and turned toward the door. “I will see you later.”

* * *

“Stop scratching at your wound. You’re just going to make it worse.” Temari said for what seemed like the fifth time already since Shikamaru woke up. She fanned herself quickly while Sakura gingerly dabbed a cotton ball on medical tongs against the bleeding wound on the back of Shikamaru’s head.

The tray beside her had pieces of bloody shrapnel which the pink-haired woman had taken out of the cuts on Shikamaru’s body, thankfully none digging in deep enough to require intensive surgery.

“You’re the one making my head hurt, troublesome woman.” Shikamaru grumbled and squeezed his eyes tight when the antiseptic burned against his wound. “Ugh, can someone pass me a cigarette?”

“No smoking in my clinic!” Sakura scolded, looking over at Choji, who had thoughtfully brought a bag of chips for his recovering friend. “Please don’t give him any, Choji.”

Chuckling at the women taking care of Shikamaru, Choji rolled his shoulders back, making the monoblock chair under him bend slightly from the weight. “You heard them, Shika.”

On the other bed, Sai’s arm was already slathered with cold burn cream, his skin a sick black and red ruin from direct contact to the fire. Sai, however, had a smile on his face as he leaned against one of the beds they’d added to the clinic. “Such an ugly and loud woman.” He commented, earning a glare from Sakura.

“You’re no help,” she growled at him, turning back to Shikamaru’s injuries. She muttered to herself as she worked, “I just wish I could put you on some medical grade oxygen, but we just don’t have the equipment here. Everyone who was in the smoke should breath some for a few minutes, and you especially with a head wound.”

Moegi was watching with avid, wide eyes at Sakura’s handiwork. It had been some time since she’d seen so much blood, since she hadn’t been around zombies in weeks and the last serious wound she had seen to had been Lee’s. Her admiration for Sakura’s skills had shot up significantly after seeing the older woman calmly removed all the shrapnel without batting an eye, and only snapping when Shikamaru groaned or moved.

“You’re lucky I don’t have to shave your head. All your long hair is a pain, but your cuts aren’t deep. You won’t need stitches, just bandages and rest.” Sakura carefully set down her tools and laid down gauze across the wounds. The bleeding had finally stopped. She gestured for Moegi to hand her a roll of long bandages.

“Good. I don’t think Temari would find me attractive anymore without hair. Ow,” Shikamaru commented monotonously with a grimace as Sakura wrapped the bandages tight around his head, under his chin and the back of his neck.

“Who says I find you attractive?” Temari snorted, shutting her fan with a snap as she reached out and adjusted the bandage under his chin to lay flat against it. Even with the sharpness of her words, her eyes were soft with concern. Temari knew things could have ended much worse. “You stopped Deidara from blowing up the basement. Good work.”

“That’s all you’re giving me after all I did?” Shikamaru had a strained smirk on his face, watching Temari fuss over his bandages. The blonde woman raised a brow but her lips lifted at the corners.

“Hmm. Not with an audience.” Temari lowered her voice in amusement as Sakura went to tend to Sai again.

Choji pulled his seat closer to Shikamaru’s bed and placed the chips next to him. “What’s going to happen now? I’m running out of enough ingredients to feed the whole hotel.”

“We’re not going to do anything rash.” Temari replied. “Even if they took one of the trucks, we have electricity and water. We should clear out the ramp of zombies first. And you-” She nodded at Shikamaru, “Make sure you recover quickly.”

“Yep. Sounds like I’ll be able to lay in bed without moving for a few days. Bother,” Shikamaru responded. Choji grinned at his lazy friend. Temari pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, but chose not to comment for the time being.

A rustle sounded from the lobby outside, just before Lee poked his head through the doorway. He looked at everybody in turn, and seemed to relax seeing that no one was unconscious or yelling in pain. He stepped into the room and waved his hand in greeting to everyone.

“Hello. Shikamaru, are you okay? You were bleeding a lot. And Sai, did Naruto see you?”

“He was here earlier. He went back to help Gaara,” Sai responded, then hissed and winced as Sakura touched his arm.

“I’m fine, too. I might have a concussion, and I’m gonna need some bed rest, but nothing too serious,” Shikamaru said, holding up a hand in greeting to Lee.

“Oh, that is a relief at least.” Lee put a hand over his chest and sighed. He’d been worried.

“Naruto’s hand needs to be treated despite what he says.” Sakura’s pretty face was marred by a frown with Gaara’s name brought up again. She added another thin layer of burn cream over Sai’s arm, trying to be gentle.

Sai craned his neck to look at Sakura and smiled. “If you need to strip him, I can help.”

“Not a chance.” Sakura deadpanned, a vein twitching on her temple at her patients. She had to admit though that it was a good sign for everyone to still be able to joke around under the circumstances. “Are you okay, Lee? I heard you were also pressed up against the doors.”

“Yes, I am okay. I was not there for as long as Naruto was, and my bandages protected me from burns.” Lee turned and addressed Temari. “Gaara took over command after you left, and he got everything under control. The fires have been put out, and the trucks and basement do not have any bombs left behind. The smoke was ventilated from the basement, too, so there will not be any issues with carbon monoxide poisoning when anyone goes back down there.”

“Good. Thank you.” Temari nodded approvingly, and pressed the tip of her fan to her chin in thought. “I need to speak to Gaara quickly. Do you know where he is?”

“He is searching Deidara and Sasori’s rooms.”

Temari nodded again in acknowledgement.

"Oi, I'm pretty sure Deidara keeps some of his bombs and chemicals in his room." Shikamaru spoke up, trying to sit up on the bed without resting his head against the headboard.

"Gaara's careful." Temari replied as she glanced at Sakura. "I'll leave this lazyass to you. Please let me know of any problems you'll have with Sai or Shikamaru."

Sakura nodded at the woman, the frown leaving her face at Temari's support. “I will. ”

“Che, do you see them ganging up on us?” Shikamaru complained to Choji as Temari headed out the door. He lay back against the pillow on his neck, head throbbing from the blood loss and his wound.

“The wounded are the most often persecuted.” Choji agreed in good humor, moving his chair to sit closer to his friend.

Lee stood awkwardly next to Moegi, rubbing his hand across the back of his neck. “Is there anything I can help you with, Sakura? Anything I can do?”

“No, everything is under control now that Shikamaru’s bandages are finished. He won’t be leaving the clinic tonight.”

“Okay. I am glad that you were able to handle everything, and more people were not hurt.” Lee smiled at everyone and stepped toward the door. “I am going to check in with Neji and make sure our security is tight. I think he will need help moving the zombies on the ramp, too. I will check in again later, Sakura.”

The woman nodded but didn’t speak, concentrating on Sai’s burned skin. Lee patted Moegi’s shoulder as he left, earning a smile from the girl.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is **NSFW**.

The crossbow’s sight lined up with the zombie’s head, cracked open like a bloody egg as it clawed at the barricades they’d put up in front of the hotel. Gaara held in his breath and pulled the trigger, anticipating the recoil with the tightening of his arms. His bolt pierced through the zombie’s remaining eye socket and it collapsed on the steps.

Reloading his crossbow, Gaara silently counted the number of bolts he had left in total. All in all, he had less than 50 bolts left to see him through before his weapon would be rendered useless. Scavenging for crossbow bolts was hard with most of the nearby hobby and weapon stores already ransacked.

Leaning away from the window, he took in a deep breath and adjusted his grip. The view from the hotel’s third floor was just high enough for him to see the surrounding area of the hotel, while giving him a clear shot downwards towards the walkers that got too near. Since Sasori and Deidara’s theft of the truck, the survivors at the hotel had slowly recovered. Zetsu didn’t seem to be bothered that he was left behind, but Gaara felt the same sinking dread that Lee had shared with him, when he thought of _three_ Akatsuki members on the loose. He didn’t doubt that Deidara had been converted to their cause.

The day was hot with spring in Suna ending too soon. Gaara tugged on the light shirt he wore to fan himself as he crouched into position again, hoisting the crossbow against his shoulder as he watched the streets below.

Lee stepped into the room with a quiet murmur from the door, and raised his brow at his boyfriend stationed at the window. Lee had just finished sparring with Neji, and his loose exercising clothes were dirty and sweaty. He crossed the room and leaned around Gaara without bumping him to see out the window. “There are a lot more zombies around the hotel. Have you killed many, today?”

Gaara’s skin prickled when he felt Lee approaching. They’d been working together long enough that he could tell Lee’s wide, evenly paced footsteps apart. “Just three.” He said quietly, not taking his eyes off the sight. Something about Lee’s words bothered him though, and his brows knotted as he mulled over them before he slowly eased the tension along his arms and unloaded his crossbow.

He kept his gaze on the window despite the troubled look crossing his face. “Lee, this is the first time you’ve asked that.” It was also the first time he heard a lack of...guilt when Lee spoke about killing zombies.

Lee paused and blinked a couple times as he realized that Gaara was right. His mouth twisted as his eyes followed a walker along the road, dragging a broken leg that was only attached by the remains of the bone. He sighed. “I guess I don’t mind the idea of killing them as much lately, as things are getting more dangerous for everyone. We need to protect each other, you know?”

“Are they still people to you?” Gaara set his crossbow against the wall and straightened up from his crouch, facing the other man. Lee’s mussed up hair and the dishevelled state of his clothes was becoming a common sight, though it was usually when they were in the bedroom. It was good that Lee was starting to think practically about their situation, but he’d grown used to their moral standing clashing against each other. He reached out and patted down the strands that were sticking up with sweat.

“Of course they are! Zombies are still people, and they need to be treated with respect, but... just not at the cost of our safety.” Lee looked down when Gaara touched him, and tilted his head at his boyfriend. “The most important thing is to protect the people that are still alive, but we should still remember that the walkers outside used to be, too. Do you not think zombies are people?”

“Not anymore.” Gaara’s lips quirked up, eyes narrowing as he slowly grasped the back of Lee’s shirt. “...I thought you were finally seeing things the way I do. I’m glad you don’t.” He pressed hard fingers against Lee’s back, rubbing small, pressured circles on either side of his spine.

Lee’s mouth quirked up despite the seriousness of their topic. “I think I have trouble understanding you sometimes. It is odd that you do not want me to agree with you. But that is okay.” Lee slid his arms around Gaara in return, and dragged his fingers down the stretch of Gaara’s neck and shoulder. He leaned into the pressure on his back. “I need to go back to our room and wash up. Are you busy, or would you like to join me?”

“Kiba has next shift.” Gaara replied, rolling his shoulders back with the fingers dragging down them. There was a pleased warmth in his eyes that softened the usual sharpness of his gaze.  He glanced at the entrance to the room then pulled Lee close against him, slipping a hand behind the taller man’s neck to brace himself as his mouth curled up at the ends. “I’ll join you after my shift. It’s almost over.”

It was easy to be intimate with Lee now, with both of them getting used to touching each other everyday. Gaara leaned up and raked his teeth against Lee’s chin instead of kissing him.

Lee’s breath quickened and his fingers tightened on Gaara’s body. His cheeks warmed pleasantly and he shivered, enjoying the swirl in his gut and the soft electricity in his skin. He still wasn’t _used_ to touching Gaara or being touched by him, in such that it didn’t feel ordinary, but it also felt good at the same time. He swallowed and nodded shallowly. “I will take my time and meet you there. Try to stay focused on the rest of your shift.”

Despite his advice, Lee turned his head and provided a nice distraction for Gaara by kissing along his throat softly, sucking on his skin once and squeezing him close before he finally let go and turned away, back toward their room.

Gaara’s eyes were lidded by the time Lee pulled away and left, ears pink and his pulse quick. Turning back to his post, he picked up his crossbow again and shook his head once to brush away the pleasant hum in his body from Lee’s attention.

He hadn’t been poised long enough before heavier steps entered the room and Kiba entered the hall. He stood with his shotgun over his shoulder and observed the redhead for a few seconds before approaching. He spoke ahead of himself as he walked, “I was bored upstairs, so I’m here early.”

Looking over his shoulder at Kiba, any trace of Lee’s effect on Gaara was gone. “Your shotgun is too noisy. Any walkers in the area will hear it.” Gaara said as he lined up his sight and fired a bolt at one zombie who’d walked past the invisible boundaries he’d set for the area, its body landing on top of other bodies that hadn’t been cleaned away from this morning yet. He stood up and glanced at the other man, gauging what Kiba was thinking.

“I’m out of ammo for the gun that usually gets used for sniping. I don’t plan on shooting unless it’s really necessary. You can take out the last of your targets if you need to.” Kiba leaned against the wall a few feet away and crossed his arms casually. He peered around Gaara out the window. “Hinata is downstairs. It’s her turn to cook.”  

Gaara glanced out the window to check if there were any walkers wandering too near, before giving up the spot for Kiba to take over. There were more zombies than what they usually had to deal with. Gaara suspected they came from other areas of the city, drawn towards the hotel after the explosion Deidara set off almost a week ago. “Temari should leave the cooking to Choji. Hinata will end up wasting some of the rations.” He said critically as he turned away from the window and began walking out the room

Kiba shrugged and moved to take the place by the window. Before Gaara could walk out of sight, he asked gruffly, “Do you have time to train with Hinata today? She wants to learn how to react in a horde, and you’re better at that than I am.”

Stopping in his tracks, Gaara’s brows knotted in surprise at the question. He’d expected Kiba to react to his words, or even ignore him after that exchange. “...This afternoon.” He conceded, deciding not to question Kiba suddenly asking him for help.

Kiba nodded gruffly and turned to the window, as if nothing had passed between them.

* * *

 

Back at their room, Lee had already stripped down to his boxer briefs and was brushing his teeth in front of the bathroom mirror. He spat into the sink and rinsed out his mouth, before examining his disheveled hair with a disappointed frown. He’d used to be able to keep his bowl cut as shiny and immaculate as his uncle’s all the time, but since the outbreak he hadn’t been able to give his hair all that much attention. He even needed to cut it soon.

The bedroom opened with a quiet sigh from Gaara as he rested his now unloaded crossbow on the wall and ruffled the back of his hair. Hearing the sound of water running at the sink, he took off his shoes and headed to the bathroom, catching sight of his boyfriend through the mirror. “Are you done taking....a....shower...”

The redhead trailed off when he saw Lee’s bare chest and the boxer briefs that clung to his body. He swallowed and lifted his gaze up Lee’s body, stepping inside the bathroom and leaning against the door frame. “You should take those off too.” He said, his eyes snapping back on the jut of Lee’s hip and the hard muscle along his thigh.

“Oh, I did not hear you come in,” Lee said, glancing up at the sound of Gaara’s voice. As he recognized the expression on Gaara’s face, a slow smile began to pull at his lips and his heartbeat thrummed. He forgot about his hair and started to step back toward the shower stall. “I was just about to step in. Would you like to join me...?”

Lee slid down his underwear and kicked it off quickly, stepping into the stall behind the textured glass door before Gaara could get a good look at him. He turned on the water and started setting the temperature.

Lee could almost be called coy right now. Gaara took off his clothes quickly but folded them in  a neat pile on the sink. Pulling back the glass door, he stepped inside and wrapped an arm around Lee from behind, pressing his forehead against his strong back and enjoying the tiny drops of water from the shower that fell on their skin while Lee set the temperature. “Do you find my body attractive?”

Lee inhaled sharply, started by the abruptness of Gaara’s question and the feel of their bare skin pressed together. He finished setting the shower head and touched Gaara’s arms where they were wrapped around his torso. The spray from the water rolled off his chest and ran down his body in a small torrent. “Of course I do. You have a very youthful body, Gaara. Why do you ask?”

Some of the water trickled down Lee’s back and fell on Gaara’s bangs, plastering his hair to the sides of his face. Lifting his heels up, Gaara began to kiss up Lee’s back with methodical precision until he reached the curve of his neck and ear. His eyes were slits of green, the marks around his eyes stark against his pale skin, as he murmured, “If I let you do anything to me, I want to know what you’d have planned.”

His hips pressed forward against Lee’s ass, just pressing their skin together without any indication of doing anything more. The redhead’s voice was low and huskier than usual when he said, “There are times I want to do things to you, but you wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

Lee’s eyes widened and he sucked in a breath as he realized what Gaara was talking about. The water suddenly felt much cooler against his flushed skin, and he shivered. His fingers on Gaara’s arms tightened. “I... I was not _planning_ anything. But... I want to be able to handle things for you.”

Despite his words, Lee was trying not to instinctively pull his ass away from Gaara’s hips. He hadn’t thought much about the mechanics of gay sex in detail, too focused on growing comfortable with Gaara and getting to know each other’s bodies slowly, but he had a feeling that trying things _that_ way wouldn’t feel all that great. It must not be so bad if men are always doing that with each other, but it was difficult for Lee to envision.

Lee licked his lips and ducked his head forward until his hair was under the spray of the water as he asked, “Does it hurt?”

Gaara slid his hand to Lee’s hip and edged around him until he was between Lee and the shower wall. Water fell down on his head, and even if he knew they were using up more water than necessary, this was the first time they’d talked about intercourse. It didn’t take much to see that Lee wasn’t comfortable with the idea yet.

The redhead pressed his free hand against Lee’s cheek, rubbing his thumb over the flushed skin. “It doesn’t hurt that much if you use a lot of lube the first time. It’s safer to wear a condom.” He said factually, “When you’re ready to try it, you can do it to me first.”

Lee ran his fingers over Gaara’s hair, helping the water soak in. He dragged his hands along Gaara’s skin, shivering at the erotic slickness from the water. Gaara’s skin was so soft and smooth compared to his own, and Lee found himself fascinated by the feel of it under his rough fingertips. Eyes lidded, he traced the contours of Gaara’s chest muscles, circling his nipples a couple times, and dragged his hands down the other man’s sides to rest around his hips. His eyes continued to trail downward, openly staring at Gaara’s penis and balls. Somehow, it didn’t bother him at all anymore to think that he was with another man. Lee shook his head.

“No, I want to know what it feels like, first, before I do that to you. Otherwise I would be too afraid I was doing something wrong or hurting you.”

“...Hm.” Gaara exhaled through his nose and brushed the wet hair from Lee’s eyes with a nod. The sensation of Lee exploring his body by touch still lingered on his skin where water took the place of fingers, and the way the man looked at him made him feel wanted. It was a good feeling. “You’ll learn from experience. Just don’t turn this into another challenge.”

Eyes dark with mirth and something that made them gleam, he tilted his head up to catch the spray and ran his hands down his arms and shoulders to wash away the day’s grime.

Lee smiled and reached for the soap, rubbing down his wet skin good naturedly while Gaara rinsed. His mind wandered while he scrubbed, thinking about his day so far and about Gaara. The redhead had been incredibly patient with him since they’d become more than friends, something Lee was really grateful for. He wasn’t sure how their relationship would have progressed if Gaara hadn’t been so understanding. And Lee loved his boyfriend. He was sure of it, more confident about it than any other relationship he’d been in.

“When are we trying it?” Gaara’s voice cut through the steady hiss of water as he soaped himself as well.

Even if they were in a situation where they were surrounded by zombies and cornered by raiders and the possibility of a criminal gang taking over the city, the redhead wasn’t going to let this pass by without assuring a date, time and venue. They had to take what chance they had here and now.

“Um,” Lee stalled as he switched places with Gaara to reach the water and rinse himself off. He soaked his hair while his eyes trailed up and down Gaara’s wet, glistening body. His heart fluttered pleasantly, but his mind still pondered how the person he’d fallen in love with just so happened to also be the most blunt, compulsive person he knew. “How about... now? When we are done in the shower. Unless you would rather wait until later...?”

Gaara blinked his eyes against the spray and stared at Lee. “Okay.” He set down the soap on its dish and let the water rinse off the lather, running a hand through his hair until the wet strands were slicked back. Gaara licked the moisture on his lips in thought. He wanted to...and Lee looked so attractive when his hair was wet, and his eyes were wide and eager.

Lifting his gaze, he stepped closer to the other man until they were chest to chest, lips parted in anticipation. “But we don’t have condoms or lube. I’ll need to use saliva or any lotion you have.”

“... I still have a lot of aloe vera left over, if that will work,” Lee said after a thoughtful pause. He instinctively dipped his head closer when Gaara stepped close, brushing their lips together with lidded eyes. His hands crawled up Gaara’s back, massaging slick circles on either side of his spine. Lee shivered when their wet groins brushed. He could see the anticipation in Gaara’s eyes, and it was turning him on as much as anything else.

“We can use that.” Gaara conceded, reaching behind him to shut the shower and kissing Lee firmly. He moved his hands on the man’s waist and walked them back towards the door, all the while keeping their lips meeting in slow, intentional kisses. When he had Lee pressed against the cold tile next to the glass door, he broke the contact and stepped out of the shower, taking two towels off the rack and throwing one towards Lee.

“Come to bed.” He said, his expression grown enigmatic as he wrapped the towel around him and headed towards the bedroom in search of the tube of aloe vera.

Lee’s eyes followed Gaara even as he caught the towel, his lips tingly and his skin hypersensitive. He shivered and began toweling down quickly, bearing in mind that he was about to have real sex with his boyfriend. He still wasn’t sure if he would enjoy being on bottom, but Gaara sounded like he knew what he was doing, and they would stop if it really didn’t feel right.

“Top drawer,” Lee instructed as he spotted Gaara rummaging through a dresser. Lee sat on the bed with the towel still draped over his hair as he finished drying.

Fishing out the well-used tube, Gaara tested a small dollop on his hand, frowning when it seemed to dry quickly. Still, it was better than looking for more dubious substances. He sat down on the bed as well with the towel around his waist as he glanced at Lee.

“It’s better if you lay down or get on all fours.” He said, heart pounding in his chest despite his calm appearance. He wanted Lee to feel good now that he’d agreed to have intercourse, and wanted him to know what he was getting into. “I’m going to spread you with my fingers to see how tight it is. Your ass can stretch to fit me, but it will take a while to get used to. You will tell me if it’s too fast or if it hurts.”

Lee nodded slowly, his eyes wide. For once, he was glad that Gaara was able to talk about these things clearly without being self conscious or hesitating to be polite. It was somehow almost assuring that Gaara could explain it all so factually. Lee stood up and tossed his towel across the room, then stood facing the bed. He kissed Gaara softly on the lips, lingering for a few breaths. He pulled away after a brush of their noses and leaned forward over the mattress, looking at Gaara carefully.

"Like this? Is this okay?" he asked, trying to relax despite the fact that he almost felt silly baring his ass in the air.

Gaara’s eyes were wide, pupils dilated in an expression that almost looked hungry when Lee got on all fours. His breath noticeably grew faster as he slowly pushed himself up and ran his hand through Lee’s hair, before his hand tightened around the strands and he gently pulled Lee’s head back to kiss him deeply, delving his tongue in the man’s mouth with a small groan. They were finally going to do this.

His free hand went down Lee’s back, stroking the scarred part of his left side and over the strong muscles corded around his back. His fingers trailed below Lee’s chest and pinched his nipples.

Lee immediately got into it, his breathing quick and his hands tight on the sheets as Gaara touched him. He gasped when the redhead tweaked his nipples in just the right way, making his half hard dick raise higher in appreciation. Lee twisted his upper body around to tangle Gaara’s mouth better with his own, shivering as his tongue curled and slid with Gaara’s.

Reaching his arm over his shoulder, Lee managed to run his fingers through Gaara’s hair. It was difficult to reach much else behind him, but it still felt good.

Feeling Lee responding to his touch and kiss, Gaara pulled Lee closer until the other man was leaning further on the bed and resting against him. The redhead licked at the fine grooves of Lee’s teeth and grunted softly when his dick twitched in response. He didn’t think he’d ever shown his boyfriend the side of him that thought about sex when there wasn’t a problem facing him, the one that wanted Lee to hurry up and get used to having sex with another man so they could really have fun.

Gaara broke the kiss with a thick inhale, shaking his mind free of those thoughts. “You can stroke yourself while I’m doing this.” He said, uncapping the aloe vera and moving off the bed to stand behind Lee.

Lee let his breath out in a whoosh, his eyes lidded and glazed from their kiss as he nodded. He swallowed and shivered as he heard the cap popping and leaned further over the bed, his veins jumping. He glanced over his shoulder at Gaara as he reached down to take himself in hand. “You have done this before, right?”

“Yes.” Gaara murmured, running his palm down the flat expanse of Lee’s pelvis before it reached the curve of his ass. He squeezed one cheek experimentally before his thumbs parted both cheeks to expose the tiny starburst. His cock was fully erect now as he pressed the edge of his thumb there. “Don’t tense up. I’m going to start with my fingers.”

“Okay,” Lee said, his breath catching with what he knew was coming. Lee of all people wasn’t afraid of pain, even when he was expecting it, but he still felt exposed as Gaara handled him carefully. Only because it was Gaara was Lee okay with it. He tried to relax, squeezing his erection in his hand and running fingers along the shaft to distract himself. In the back of his mind, he wondered if Gaara knew how to make this feel good.

Gaara dipped his first three fingers in the aloe and spat in his hand to add moisture to it. He pressed a finger against Lee’s ass and wiggled it in slow circles as he pushed it in. “Don’t clench.” He said, anticipating Lee’s comfort. He worked it in slowly but without stopping as his other hand found Lee’s nipples in front again, rubbing one of the nubs to add to his pleasure.

Lee grunted lightly, but really was trying to relax as Gaara fingered him. It felt weird and uncomfortable, but it didn’t hurt. Lee squeezed tighter around his dick with a small gasp as Gaara reached around to touch his nipples. He spread his legs a little to help Gaara’s finger enter him better.

Gaara made sure that he coated the hot fleshy walls inside with the bulk of the aloe vera on his finger, pausing only when his knuckle reached the spread cheeks. Licking his lips, he began to thrust his finger, slowly pulling out then thrusting it in with increasing speed. Lee would be able to take him in as long as he was aroused and well lubricated, and now that he could touch and rub the slick walls inside, it was getting harder to hold back.

He raked his fingernail against Lee’s nipple then dragged his fingers down the man’s chest until they reached his hard length, adding his hand over Lee’s as he worked him from both ends.

Lee’s breathing strained and he shuddered, closing his eyes and focusing. He caught himself fluttering his ring of muscles with the automatic temptation to clamp down or tighten up in protest. He squeezed tighter reactively as Gaara’s hand joined his, prompting him to stroke quicker. He tried to relax, but after a couple minutes of Gaara thrusting with his finger Lee’s hips began to twitch back and forth with the motion.

Moving with Lee’s hips Gaara uttered a low, growling noise in his throat before he pressed another finger alongside the first. His fingers twisted so that his thumb rested against the stretch of skin between Lee’s entrance and his balls, pressing there at the same time as he began searching for the tiny bundle of nerves. “...Does this feel good for you?” He whispered, leaning over Lee’s back and plying his neck in slow, contemplative kisses. There was no assurance that Lee would even like being fucked, or if his prostate would be sensitive enough to give him pleasure, but just having this intimacy with him was sending a hot thrill through Gaara’s body and groin.

“It- it feels weird. Not bad, though,” Lee panted, not even seeming to notice the second finger. “Better than I thought it- _oh_!”

Lee shuddered and his hips jerked as he felt a pulse of pleasure, radiating in his body, like an undercurrent to the other simulations. It didn’t quite feel like it came from his dick, but it was somewhere close to it and made his body tingle and his toes curl. He automatically bent over further, trying to make that sensation happen again. “Ngh- Gaara-”

The shudder running through Lee’s body echoed in Gaara’s. He pressed against Lee’s back, encouraging him to bend forward so he could rest his forearms on the bed. His fingers curled up until they found the swelling nerves inside Lee’s ass, rubbing against them again then stroking against his walls. Squeezing the head of Lee’s cock, he rubbed his palm over the slit on the underside, spreading the pre-cum there.

Lee gasped again and let go of his cock so that just Gaara was handling it, resting his upper body over the bed with his chest against the sheets. He groaned sharply, and clapped a hand over his mouth with surprise at himself. He was starting to see why some people could enjoy this. He found himself pressing back when Gaara curled his fingers a certain way, getting caught up on the pleasurable sensation deep in his body and the hand on his erection. He turned his head to look at Gaara over his shoulder, cheeks flushed and eyes lidded.

“Is it stretched enough? Will it take much longer?”

The flushed look on Lee’s face wrought a groan from Gaara. He shook his head in response and spread his fingers wide to test the limits of the stretch before pulling his fingers out. There was a dusting of pink on Gaara’s face and his chest rose and fell quickly with his breath. He’d been honest when he said Lee’s features were striking at best, but they attracted him with everything that made Lee what he was. “It...It might hurt the first time I push in, but it will get easier.” With that said, he moved his hands to Lee’s ass and spread his cheeks wide, dumping the rest of the aloe vera on his dick and letting the last drops fall down Lee’s entrance.

Pressing his flared head against the tight hole, he kissed Lee’s back before pushing his hips forward, gasping at the tight ring of muscle that both felt like it was drawing him in and pushing him out. His eyes shut tight as he concentrated on the constant pressure.

Lee ducked his face against the mattress with a small, sharp gasp. Gaara’s cock was bigger than his fingers, not as easy to slide in. Lee shuddered, his shoulders tense with the pressure, the pleasant haze of hormones that had settled over his senses wavering. He wouldn’t have described it as _pain_ , but it was bordering near that sensation, threatening as his muscles fluttered in protest. He wondered in a quick flash if he should have waited longer. As the tip slowly breached inside his body however, he forgot that thought and grunted shallowly as he tried to come to terms with the tight, stretching feeling.

When the head was past the tight, squeezing pressure, Gaara stayed where he was and began moving his hands over Lee’s body, caressing his back and shoulders. “I’m in.” He murmured in a low, quiet voice, his pulse thudding in his chest almost in sync with the heartbeat he could feel fluttering around his shaft. Bending over Lee, he kissed his tight shoulders, sucking lightly on the tanned skin. His hands slid down the sides of Lee’s torso to grip his cock and balls, rubbing his thumb over the tip.

“Lee.” He breathed out, trembling slightly from the pressure around him and the trust Lee was showing him. He latched his lips and teeth on Lee’s shoulder and slowly began to move.

Lee’s breath left him with a quiet groan, feeling as if something had playfully punched him in the lungs. His eyes flew open when Gaara started to move, still hung up on what the pressure was doing to his body. Lee gasped when he could feel Gaara pushing slightly deeper, clearly able to feel how much of the other man’s body was inside his. It stung slightly when Gaara pulled back, but Lee forgot about that with a pleased shudder when he pushed in again.

“Gaara- go deeper.” Lee pressed his forehead against the blankets, shivering once as Gaara squeezed his dick the right way, carefully rocking their bodies together.

“Nngh.” Lee’s breathless voice already sounded really good without the pleas. Squeezing the base of Lee’s dick, Gaara pulled back until only the head was inside Lee, before he thrust in deeply, sheathing himself until just an inch of his shaft was left outside of the other man. His knees hit the edge of the bed as he rocked forward and back to fit in that last inch. The heat of their bodies was just enough to bring a light sheen of sweat to his skin, and when he finally thrust in all the way, Gaara leaned forward until his chest was resting against Lee’s back, burying his face against the taller man’s shoulders. “Lee.” He repeated before his hips began to thrust back and forth, shifting in circles with every bump of their hips.

Lee groaned, his jaw dropping as a white hot sensation shot up his spine and tingled down his legs. There was so much pressure inside him, filling, stroking inside his body; it felt rough and almost unbearable at first, but within a few thrusts and Gaara’s body resting across his back in a warm, possessive embrace, Lee was starting to adjust.

It felt so real, intimate and raw, unlike anything else Lee had ever experienced. There was a lot of tingling and heat and crackling across his skin like electricity, but Lee couldn’t bring himself to distinguish where all these sensations were coming from or how far they reached.

White crossed Lee’s vision when Gaara rolled his hips a certain way, reigniting the undercurrent of pleasure from before and making Lee gasp and push back for more. He pushed himself up a little and reached backward, gripping Gaara’s hip as he thrust.

The hand on his hip brought Gaara’s body leaning almost completely on top of Lee’s. He moaned against Lee’s skin when he felt the other man tightening briefly around him. Lee was responding better than he thought he would, and the slick grind of their hips was almost enough to make him come right then. His hand stroked Lee's cock faster, squeezing along the length and head the way he'd learned drove Lee crazy as his hips found a steadily increasing rhythm of thrusting and pulling back.

Lee’s whole body was rocking back and forth with Gaara’s rhythm, like quick waves across an ocean. Lee suddenly groaned and threw his head back as Gaara thrust in harder and stroked his cock, almost making him come. He shuddered and reached down to push Gaara’s hand away from his dick.

“Stop- Gaara, y-you are going to make me come-” Lee protested, his voice breathless and shaky.

If anything, Lee’s attempts to pull his hand off just spurred Gaara on. A low growl escaped his lips and he yanked Lee’s hand and twisted it to press against his back, pressing down on it with his body and squeezing Lee’s dick harder. “I want you...to come.” He spoke against Lee’s skin, kissing his boyfriend’s broad back as his own pre-cum lubricated the man’s inner walls with each pump.

His cock twitched as his thrusts sped up, the tight ring of muscle massaging his length over and over again. The smell of sex and musk filled his nostrils and assaulted his senses. He didn’t think about this being Lee’s first time anymore, just focused on making the man come.

Lee groaned low and deep in his chest, feeling an extra wave of arousal from Gaara’s sudden aggression. His face pressed into the mattress with Gaara’s body on top of him, trapping one arm while his other hand was still tightly gripping Gaara’s hip. He spread his legs and dug his fingertips into Gaara’s hip, urging him on.

“Then move- _harder_ ,” Lee growled back over his shoulder. He tried yanking Gaara closer, his toes curling against the carpet as he pushed back. “Fuck me _harder_.”

Gaara's eyes snapped open. Gripping Lee's twisted arm and pressing his other hand flat against Lee's abs, he thrust in harder, his hips thudding against Lee's ass. Each time he moved, a wet smack sounded from between their bodies, erotic in Gaara's ears.

He wasn't going to last long. Not when Lee was growling back at him and taking it as if he hadn't been a virgin just moments ago. Panting harshly, he hauled Lee's hips and arm back in time with his thrusts, creating a slapping, slipping friction that milked his dick.

Lee couldn’t help releasing a sharp, throaty grunt or groan each time Gaara’s hips smacked against his ass, wringing his body tight and fast. Lee didn’t know if he should take it like this the first time or not, but he honestly didn’t care because it felt too _good_ to stop. Pleasure, hot and violent like a challenge shot through his limbs and seared through his groin. He tried to hold back at first, but that lasted less than a moment or so of the brutal thrusting he’d asked for when he finally came with a hollow groan and a sharp jerking of his hips as he threw his head back.

“Gaara-! Ngh-” Lee choked out as his body spasmed.

The sudden tightening of Lee’s ass around him wrought a gasp from Gaara, and he fell against Lee’s back, latching on his shoulder with his teeth as he continued to thrust through Lee’s orgasm. He felt warm cum on his hand when he moved it down Lee’s stomach, anchoring himself on Lee’s hip bone as he continued to fuck Lee.

“Oh god,” Lee was shaking, realizing immediately that Gaara wasn’t done yet as his boyfriend continued to thrust over and over again, still just as fast and hard as before. There were curls of exhausted pleasure inside his body, but it was already too much and Lee’s eyes were watering from the over-stimulation. He cried out into the blankets and almost slipped off his feet. “Gaara! C- _come_! I- I cannot- _ohgodcomeplease_ -!”

“H-haaa!” Lee’s voice rang in his ears and Gaara only had to thrust a few more times before he came inside Lee’s ass, shuddering in place as he spilled his cum inside his boyfriend. He slumped against Lee’s back with their hips still connected and his dick still twitching inside the other man’s ass. His breath came out in pants as he braced his arms on either side of Lee's body, his lips pressed against the skin he'd bitten earlier.

Lee couldn’t speak right away, his breath too desperate and his blood still rushing loudly. When his body finally calmed down, he groaned softly and wilted under Gaara’s weight. His muscles felt like lead jelly, and there was more tingling in certain private parts of his body than he would have predicted. There was some soreness too, already, but he’d had much worse from training accidents or when he’d overworked himself on a job.

Barely summoning the will to move his tired body, Lee managed to turn his head enough so that he wasn’t breathing into the blankets anymore as he spoke softly to Gaara. “That felt good. I do not think I succeeded in refraining from a challenge, though.”

Gaara snorted, shaking his head slightly against Lee’s back. “You’re going to be sore tonight.” He took a couple of breaths before pushing himself up and sliding his hips back, gasping as his sensitive length slipped out of Lee. He rolled off of his boyfriend until he was lying on his back beside him, facing the ceiling with his legs dangling off the edge of the bed.

His whole body felt limp and sated, but his mind was buzzing with Lee’s groans and his expression when he first entered him. It was a relief and a turn-on to know that Lee really did want him, even as far as letting him top.

Lee shuddered, feeling oddly like he’d just had an extensive workout in which he’d pushed himself a little too far. He pulled himself a little higher on to bed to rest his legs, and his breath shuddered with the mixed sensations left over where Gaara had been inside him. He was still slick with sensitive tingling, but also hollow now with the impending threat of an ache.

“Yeah,” Lee laid his head on its side an smiled at Gaara in a dreamy, post orgasmic way. He’d just had real sex with his boyfriend, and it had been _much_ better than expected. Even the part at the end when they’d gotten a little rough with each other. _That_ had been an unexpected turn-on while he was taking it. Lee slid a little closer with some effort and managed to kiss Gaara’s shoulder warmly. “I cannot wait to try that again, the other way around. I think I know what would make you feel good now.”

Already the ideas and images were running through Lee’s head, making his grin widen.

Gaara opened his eyes, the green of his irises just visible through the dark marks surrounding his eyes. He placed a hand on Lee’s back and just nodded. It would be interesting to see where their relationship would go, now that they’d moved on to a deeper intimacy. His lips quirked up faintly to match Lee’s grin.

“Maybe next time, I’ll be the one to start the challenge.”

* * *

Ino’s hair fell over her face in dirty strands as she and Choji ran to the basement parking. Her ears were ringing from the blasts that assaulted them from all sides of the hotel, and she could feel the hot tears and sweat on her skin as she held fast to the laundry bag full of canned food. Her breath came out in pants when she glanced at Choji beside her. The big man had a gallon of water in his arms and a pack on his back with another.

The hallway they were running through suddenly exploded in a mass of debris and smoke, forcing them to take cover in the nearby rooms. Coughing through the dust in the air, Ino raked the hair from her face. “Hang in there, Choji. Just down the hall and we’ll make it.” She gripped the man’s forearm tight when she heard the a scream from the windows. They had people still fending off the zombies at the front doors, but they were far from prepared for a surprise strike by the Akatsuki- from inside the hotel.

“They’re coming from the west side! They want the vehicles in the basement!” Neji shouted to the others two stories above as he aimed his gun out a window. He managed to catch an approaching raider on the shoulder, but had to duck as they fired back at him. He tripped and fell as the whole building shook with another explosion. He could smell smoke somewhere nearby.

“There is no time! We have to get to the basement! I am sure Hinata is already there, but we need to hurry,” Lee caught Neji’s arm and hauled him away from the window, dragging his friend down the hallway with an anxious expression. Neji didn’t say anything, just scowled and ran along behind him. Just as they opened the door to the stairwell, Matsuri fell out and clung to Lee’s shirt, sobbing.

“I can’t find Sari! I’ve looked everywhere, I can’t find her, and our room is on fire!”

Lee shook his head, expression miserable as he pushed the girl back into the stairwell. “If we can find her, it would be in the basement, she would run to the vehicles. Just keep running!”

In the stairwell, Neji’s head snapped up as he heard screaming on the floors above them, and could see a haze of smoke coming from just a couple levels up. They were running out of time.

With the amount of smoke in the air, it was getting hard to breathe inside. Ino and Chouji caught up to everyone at the stairwell. It was a mad dash downstairs until they burst out into the basement parking. Baki was already in the truck, calling them to get in. The shutters keeping the basement entrance closed were shaking, the only thing keeping them closed were Ebisu and Konohamaru.

“Hurry! Get into one of the cars!” Naruto called to them as he arrived behind them, his face darkened by dirt and smoke. Behind him, Sakura held onto Sai as they ran down the stairs. The pink-haired woman had a bag slung over her shoulder that clinked whenever she moved. She glanced at Lee before the two of them headed for one of the trucks.

“Udon and Moegi are on their way down.” Naruto said as he passed by Neji and Lee. The blonde man had a wild look in his eyes and his left arm hung limply on his side, blood dripping from two bullet wounds on his shoulder and forearm. “They’ll need to ride with you. If you can, wait for the others. Temari went to get Shikamaru and Gaara and Kiba are holding off the raiders.”

“We’ll wait for them. Get in the truck with Sakura, we’ll take the other” Neji said quickly, his pale eyes wide as he gestured. Choji and Ino were in the truck with Baki, making room for Ebisu and Konohamaru while pulling the sobbing Matsuri inside. Hinata tumbled out of the truck past Sakura, pushing her away while the medic tried to keep her inside. “Neji!” she called, resembling her cousin now more than ever as she ran up to him with pale, dinner plate sized eyes.

“I am going to find Gaara! I will be right back!” Lee stated loudly, turning and dashing back to the stairs.

“No, Lee! Come back-” Neji called after him, but it was already too late. Lee could be as fast as lightning when he was most determined. Neji was immediately distracted as Hinata grabbed his arm.

“Where’s Kiba? Isn’t he back yet?” she demanded, almost violently out of her nature. Neji grasped her shoulder and turned her back to the vehicles.

“Lee just went to get them, he’s on his way,” Neji promised.

Upstairs, zombies had already broken into the hotel and flames licked at their bodies when they entered through the shattered front doors. The bodies that didn’t burn stepped further inside the hotel. Kiba was there fighting off every corpse that shambled towards the stairwell entrance.

“Shit! You scared me!” The man cried when Lee suddenly appeared behind him. Kiba emptied his shotgun at two zombies who reached for him, before slinging the smoking gun over his shoulder. “Is Hinata okay? Is everyone inside the trucks?”  

“I think I saw her in one of the trucks. Where is Gaara?” Lee’s urgency was growing stronger, his every muscle jumping and flinching with the terrible grinding of the growing flames, the moans and shuffles of the dead, and the distant screams or sobbing of the living. He grabbed Kiba’s shoulder and asked louder over the crackle of burning dead flesh, “Where is Gaara?”

“Upstairs looking for Temari. Go on! I’ll keep the door clear!” Kiba tilted his head up the stairs, where the carpet was already tattered from the flames. He pulled out a handgun and gave Lee some cover as he drew away the walkers from the stairs.

From the gaping holes in the building’s structure, the remaining hotel guests and staff who hadn’t been able to escape to the basement were running out the burning Crimson Sand. The ones who were too slow or in a panic were easily caught and mauled by the zombies outside.

Kiba fired a couple more shots before he switched to the fireplace poker and went after the zombies in a rush.

Lee’s gut twisted at leaving Kiba behind alone, but he pushed on in his determination to find Gaara and Temari. He dashed past the front desk and was almost tripped by a crawling zombie, but managed to leap just out of its reach as he dashed toward the stairs. Luckily the structure was metal, so it would be one of the last things to go, but at the same time it was filling rapidly with smoke. Lee’s throat burned like acid as he ran up the stairs, his lungs heaving, and his alarm skyrocketed as he felt the metal handle bar and realized that it was getting hot.

“Gaara?” he called, sweat pouring down his face, mudding his face as it mixed with dirt and ash. Lee dashed through the second floor entrance, then stumbled back as a wave of flames rose from the other side of the open door, singing his bandaged arms and the edges of his bangs in the heat. Unable to go that way, Lee could only continue running up to the third floor, and the fourth, and so on until he reached the fifth where he knew there was a popular recreation room. There wasn’t much fear of zombies on this level, but it seemed deserted as he dashed down the halls, calling for Gaara at the top of his lungs. His eyes burned and teared up from the smoke exposure.

Suddenly hands wrapped around his torso from the side, yanking him to a stop in front of one of the hotel rooms, and a damp cloth was pressed against his nose. Gaara’s eyes blazed with the fire reflected in them, but wet patches surrounded them as he gasped through the cloth wrapped around his own mouth. “I can’t find them. I can’t find Temari.”

Gaara’s hair was singed at the ends, but the bulk of it was pressed flat against his neck and face with sweat. Down the hall where Lee was headed, another bomb was dropped, sending glass and wooden beams shattering against the walls and all over the floor.

Lee wrapped his arms around Gaara’s body and threw them to the floor, catching the fall with his shoulder and rolling so that he covered Gaara as the debris showered down on them. His ears rang from the blast, and he gasped in pain as a long piece of a wooden beam crashed against his back and rebounded away. He had to shake off a burning chunk that had caught his shoulder, but his watery eyes were focused on Gaara as he looked down at the other man in a rapid assessment, checking for any serious injuries. He took the extra cloth in Gaara’s hand and put it back over his mouth.

“Gaara, we have to get down to the basement, they are waiting for us! Temari would know where to go, she knows what to do right now! If we find her, it will be on the way there!” Lee broke off with a violent cough as his lungs fought and burned. The cloth helped, but his head was already dizzy from the lack of oxygen.

Gaara’s eyes were shut from the unexpected blast, but they opened in slivers now when Lee coughed. His lips trembled in nervous, anxious twitches that were a far cry from his normally cool expression.  He didn’t want to leave things like this, but he had to focus on the situation they were in-- for his and Lee’s sake.

He took the ends of the cloth and tied it behind Lee’s head before pushing the other man off him, pulling both of them up. “We’ll go back the way you came.” He said, voice muffled as another blast sounded outside. He gripped Lee’s arm, and his throat caught as he spotted a horde heading towards the hotel from the gaping holes in the wall. “Move! I’ll be right behind you!”

Gaara held the image of his sister in mind as they ran through the building -- Temari’s sharp gaze and the small smile she only reserved for her brothers. He was losing her again.

Lee ran ahead, reaching back to touch Gaara with almost every other step, needing to feel that the other man was there behind him. His feet almost stumbled as the building shook, and the flames were growing hotter and harder to bear with each doorway they passed. His eyes widened with shock as they reached the ground floor and he spotted the sheer amount of burning, shambling zombies on the other side of the door. He couldn’t breathe as he realized with numb, high disbelief that several of the least rotted dead had been survivors in the hotel just an hour before. Lee grabbed Gaara’s hand sharply, squeezing as his chest constricted, feeling as though he were suddenly falling from a great height.

“Do we go around them? Do you have a weapon?” Lee asked, his voice insanely calm as the flames around the door reflected in his round eyes.

Gaara lifted his head up, taking in Lee’s dirty features and the ragged look of his hair and clothes. As calm as Lee’s voice was, he could hear the panic in his breath and the pulse in his hand. Lee needed him now. He squeezed his hand back before pulling away and scanning the area quickly. He gripped a side table next to the door, throwing away the vase on top of it and handing it to Lee. He took one of the decorative chairs in the staircase and gripped the back of it. “Stay close.” He said tightly. “And don’t get bitten.”

He moved towards the door, gesturing for Lee to stay on the side as he pulled it open and began to use the chair as a battering ram against the bodies. The number of zombies outside worked to their advantage in that only a few could squeeze through at a time. Gaara swung the chair in an arc and swiped away the first row of bodies from the entrance.

Lee followed Gaara closely, in total awe at his boyfriend’s power. It was never easy to forget how resourceful and strong Gaara was when it came to methods of survival against all odds, but the impact grew phenomenally as Lee witnessed the redhead almost single handedly carve a path for them through a packed swarm of rotting undead. Lee used his small, stool like table to shove grasping, burning hands away from him, occasionally having to kick those on his other side, but it was Gaara who bore the brunt of the battle.

When the stairway to the basement was finally within sight, it felt as though an eternity had passed, and at the same time only a few ticking seconds. Lee started to rush faster, but stumbled with a cry as a hot, burning had grabbed his ankle. Hollow eye sockets were turned up toward him from the body so broken and decomposed that Lee could not even tell if it had been male or female. He brought the edge of his table down on its skull, crushing it with enough force to break apart the top from the table legs in his hands. Lee jerked his ankle away and limped on, without even time to put out the cinders that clung to his pant-leg, burning him further.

Gaara only had a moment to glance back at Lee’s cry. Swinging the chair against the zombies that tried to go after Lee’s limping form, he grit his teeth tight with the sweltering heat building in the room. His muscles ached all over, and his skin felt like tiny ants were crawling and biting through it. The chair finally broke off in his hands when he smashed it against a zombie’s head, leaving him with just the broken legs.

“Hurry, they’re leaving!” Kiba called at them from the doorway he was guarding, already out of bullets but pushing away the zombies that got too near with the barreled tip of his shotgun. He reached out when Lee was near enough and yanked him back into the stairwell. There was hot air rising from the basement, hinting that the shutters were already open.

Kiba held out his hand for Gaara as the redhead fought the remaining walkers coming after him with the two wooden legs. Time seemed to still when one of the zombies Gaara smacked away lunged at Kiba’s outstretched hand instead.

Lee was already down the stairs when he heard Kiba cry out, and it was as if in slow motion that he turned back in time to see the brunette tumbling down the stairs with a zombie clinging to him with decomposed arms, rolling together in a heart stopping tumble. Kiba landed on his side at the bottom with his hand on the zombie’s face, trying to hold it away from him as he hollered and fought. Lee still had a table leg in his hand, and hurried to slide it between Kiba and the zombie’s neck, yanking it back in a headlock and snapping it’s spine with a sharp jerk and a disgusting crack. It twitched briefly, then fell still as the brain stem broke and finally died.

“Did you get bit?” Lee asked, rushing to help Kiba up if he had any broken bones.

“I... I don’t know,” he responded, sounding shocked and hollow. Kiba’s brows were furrowed as he looked down at his hands, which were bloody with a few scratches and cuts. “I thought I cut my hand on the stairs, but it might have been his teeth.”

“Hurry!” Moegi shrieked from the last truck, the only that hadn’t left yet. The vehicle was revving loudly, as if itching toward the shuttered doors. They could hear a massive crash from the other side of the building as another bomb detonated, and debris fell from the ceiling.

Gaara raced down the stairs with sweat running down his face in dirty rivulets. He stared wide-eyed at Kiba’s hand before shaking his head and yanking the man to his feet by his clothes. “Move!”

A bigger explosion rocked the foundation of the building-- Gaara’s stomach sank as he realized all the generators must have blown. The three men ran towards the truck as quickly as they could, stumbling as the ground shook under them and the moans of persistent, burning corpses followed from behind.

Hinata received Kiba’s shaking form with a choked sob as she pulled him into the truck. They crammed themselves to the far end of the vehicle for Lee and Gaara to leap inside. Sakura didn’t wait for the door to slam close before she stepped on the gas and brought the truck screeching against the tarmac and towards the ramp.

It felt like an eternity of swerving and around debris and bodies, the truck jolting with sick thuds each time a zombie threw itself at them or caught under the wheel. Hinata was clinging to Kiba’s shoulder all the while, trying to hold back her crying as Moegi did her best to clean and patch up his hand with antibiotics and gauze. Half the time she only seemed to be making a mess as a sharp curve or sudden bump would send her materials flying or make her squeeze a tube too hard. Kiba’s eyes were narrowed tight as he murmured soft nothings to Hinata, trying to calm and comfort her. If he died, he knew who would suffer for it the worst.

Just when it seemed like they were in the clear and on the home stretch out of the city, a massive explosion took out half the road in what seemed like Deidara’s last ditch effort to kill them all. Sakura cussed violently and swerved, driving headlong into a could of dust. The windshield cracked suddenly, making her heart almost stop as a zombie rolled over the top of the vehicle, but she pushed on when the glass refused to shatter. Neji tensed from the passenger seat, eyes narrowed as he gripped a rifle tightly in both hands.

“Gaara,” Lee said, taking his boyfriend’s arm. His eyes were mournful and still teary from the smoke and dirt, and his voice was painfully ragged. “I am so sorry. I am sorry, I am so sorry...”

Gaara couldn’t speak as he turned his gaze back. What used to be the magnificent Crimson Sand was now a burning ruin. The ground thundered with each chunk falling down and Gaara was sure he saw people with black and red coats watching their retreat from the nearby buildings. The Akatsuki had risen and taken their only refuge along with them.

His hands found Lee’s arm, gripping tight at the one thing grounding him. He'd left Temari behind again. He'd left her to burn. Eyes unfocused and wide, he clenched his jaw tight and snapped to face the front of the truck.

“Step on it. We’re leaving Suna.”

The two trucks wouldn’t have enough gas between them to make it all the way to Konoha, and the one they had now wasn’t as well-reinforced as the other. But the heartbeat against his fingertips and the solid weight of Lee's arm reminded him that he still had something to live for.

Sakura only nodded, putting more pressure on the gas to get as much distance from the city as possible.

Lee watched Gaara closely, concern and regret at the forefront of his expression as he touched his boyfriend’s hand, finding it firm and strong. Everything they had built was gone, burned away by the hostile, unchecked mania of the Akasuki and the raiders under their command. In the end, the fragile balance they had managed to create in the apocalyptic world of dead creating more dead had been broken through the cruelty of the living. A soft dawning seemed to breach the back of Lee’s mind as a few minutes passed and his body slowly fell limp against the seat with exhaustion, shaking with radiating shock. He leaned against Gaara’s shoulder, and brought his lips to the redhead’s ear.

He whispered quietly, “If I could write a poem for you, it would be about beginnings.”

The stony look on Gaara’s face wavered only for a second, and his shoulder trembled when Lee’s head pressed against it. Despite the suffocating pressure threatening to burst from his lungs, he still had Lee amidst the rubble of Suna; the traumatized silence in the truck broken only by Kiba’s pained breathing and Hinata’s sobs. His fingers tightened around Lee’s arm as they sped away towards the desert and whatever future was left to them in this world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **SURPRISE ENDING!** We're done! Thank you so much for taking the time to go on this adventure with us. 
> 
> This story was extremely fun to write with Lucklessmallory, and it's been a challenge and a roller coaster of plot twists for both of us. I know AUs aren't everyone's cup of tea, but this fic has a special place in our hearts. :) We both love the zombie genre so this was our take on a mid-apocalyptic setting. 
> 
> There's actually a second part to this tale that we've completed, but we're currently editing and polishing it. XP Though I kinda like the enigmatic end for the kind of world they're in right now. Anyway, thanks for reading!
> 
>  
> 
> Please don't criticise on who tops/bottoms in this fic. We tried to keep the boys as **male** as possible without doing the whole s/u stereotype. They switch, okay? X) 


	19. One-Shot, Seperate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Note from LucklessMallory)  
> This chapter isn't so much an 'additional chapter' as it is more of it's own separate one-shot. This oneshot was written in August of 2012, and I recently rediscovered it. Unlike Rot, this piece was written exclusively by me, as a bit of a tribute and an afterthought to the story RP'd between myself and ChineseFireThorn.  
> That means that while CFT played Gaara and I played Lee throughout Rot- while juggling other characters and narratives between us- I wrote this oneshot by myself, separately. It's written from Gaara's point of view, although he wasn't my character in the main fic. This is partially because I wanted to try my hand at writing the character that CFT had so masterfully developed, partially because I wanted to see if I even *could* identify with Gaara's side of the story, and also partially because I wanted to consider how much of an effect each of the boys really had on each other in this dangerous, horrifying AU of survival, chaos, and death. The flow is completely different than the main story as well, since it's the result of one person's writing instead of a collaboration.  
> Please note that this 'additional chapter' of a oneshot doesn't necessarily act to follow Rot, Another One Bites the Dust, or reflect it's ultimate plot or story-line in any way. It can't even be called an epilogue. You could consider it a sort of 'side story.'

Gaara shuddered deep in his bones, squirming and pulling on the bandages which tied his wrists to the bedpost. He gasped huskily and turned his face to the side with tight eyes and trembling lips as Lee pressed one of Gaara’s knees deeper into his chest, and thrust inside him at the same slow, tender, overwhelming rhythm.

 

Gaara couldn’t remember how long it had been since Lee had first penetrated him tonight, but it felt like this slow, sensual love making had gone on for half an eternity or more. Lee refused to speed up or thrust harder, and it was impossible for Gaara to roll on top and take control while his wrists were tied. All he could do was wrap his thighs tighter around Lee’s waist and squeeze in appreciation, gasping with need. He spotted Lee’s expression out of the corner of his narrowed eyes, filled with warm determination to drive the redhead crazy, and mirth at Gaara’s reactions to some of the most small, tender touches.

 

“Unf- _Lee_ -” Gaara groaned, jerking sharply and curling his toes with pleasure as his boyfriend ducked to trail slow, loving kisses across his chest and throat, making Gaara insane with such gentle affection.

 

Their hips rocked together, sweat pouring down their bodies with the connective heat. Gaara gasped again and pressed his head back against the pillow as the growing threat of desperation peaked through and his erection rubbed across Lee’s stomach, slick with sweat and precum. He spotted Lee’s small smile grow as the other man leaned over him to kiss his jaw, hands trailing down Gaara’s chest and sides, then gripping his hip and lifting higher to touch an even more delicious angle.

 

“I- I can’t take it... anymore- _unf_ \- Lee... it’s too much... make me come, make me come-”

 

Lee pressed his face into Gaara’s neck, and Gaara could feel hot breath against his skin, ragged and strained unlike the slow, even thrusting of his hips. Gaara sucked in a breath as Lee’s lips touched his jaw and he spoke huskily, “Say my name like that again.”

 

Eyes narrow, Gaara held back for a few stammering heartbeats before tightening his legs around Lee’s waist and rolling his hips to meet each delicious thrust inside his body with greed. He moaned, softly, “ _Lee_...”

 

Gaara’s eyes widened abruptly and his jaw fell open as Lee’s hand curled around his erection and stroked quickly, though his thrusts never faltered or sped. Gaara’s hips jerked and he made a small noise of relief as finally- _finally_ \- the slow and building pressure of Lee’s gentle touches and thrusting reached its climax and he came. Lee continued to move in him for just a few more thrusts before coming with a soft groan that made Gaara’s heart leap and his body hum in extra pleasure with his afterglow.

 

Their bodies slowly relaxed into the mattress, deeply satisfied as the heat sank into their muscles and bloomed in their chests. Gaara’s heaving breath finally eased and his eyes sank half closed.

 

“Lee, you’re too heavy. It’s hard to breathe,” Gaara said a few moments later with some regret. He squirmed under his boyfriend, still held in place by the bandage restraints.

 

Lee lifted his head from Gaara’s shoulder with a sheepish grin and slipped out- making Gaara gasp at the leftover tingling- and untied his wrists. The redhead sighed with relief as he brought his arms down and stretched his fingers, trying to revive the blood flow. Lee hadn’t tied them tightly, but Gaara’s pulling had cut off some circulation.

 

“That felt good,” Lee commented as he rolled onto his side of the bed with a small grunt. “I love the expressions you make when I take you gently.”

 

“I love the expressions you make when I fuck you roughly,” Gaara countered, laying an arm over his face to hide his crimson cheeks. Lee knew too well how to drive Gaara crazy, in his body and his emotions.

 

Chuckling, Lee slid his fingers through Gaara’s sweat soaked hair and along his neck. “Red is a youthful color, Gaara. Do not hide it.”

 

“You’re one to talk. You looked like a tomato when I asked if we’d finished off the lube or not today.”

 

“You asked me that in front of Moegi!”

 

“It shouldn’t matter. She’s a medic, she should know all about how lube works,” Gaara said, wrinkling his nose at Lee’s logic.

 

“That is why it was embarrassing! We do not need to let her know about what we do in the bedroom together.” Despite his indigence, Lee’s chiding wasn’t nearly as impressive as it would have been _before_ they’d just had sex. At the moment, he looked like a sleepy teddy bear with round, glimmering eyes, and his argument was cut off by a wide yawn. Gaara could hear Lee’s jaw pop.

 

“Go to sleep. I’ll wake you in time for breakfast tomorrow,” Gaara said. He rolled onto his side and kissed Lee’s mouth, making his boyfriend close his eyes and hum with happiness.

 

“Goodnight. Love you...” Lee murmured, his consciousness already drifting. The corner of Gaara’s mouth pulled up, and he kissed Lee once more before settling in with his pillow for the night.

 

Gaara was watching his boyfriend’s eyelids twitch some time later. He spoke softly, barely more than a whisper, when he thought the other man was fully asleep. “Lee?”

 

“Hm?” Lee responded just as quietly, without opening his eyes.

 

Gaara paused, still watching carefully. Their room was dark, but he could still just make out the shapes of Lee’s face, from his round eyes to particularly curved lips. “...would you still want to be with me if the outbreak had never happened?”

 

“Of course I would, Gaara. I love you,” he said, as if that solved all worries.

 

“It wouldn’t have been possible. We would never have met, and if we had you wouldn’t have gotten to know me. I might have become attracted to you at some point if we spent enough time together, but... I think you would have wanted to stay with women.”

 

“Gaara,” Lee breathed. His eyes remained closed, though his arm curled around the other man’s body and his fingers stroked Gaara’s shoulder affectionately. “None of that matters. Youth stems from the present, not from ‘what ifs.’ I will always be here for you, because I _did_ meet you, and get to know you, and fall in love with you. Do not worry about the rest.”

 

“...okay,” Gaara agreed, warm in his chest with Lee’s usual confidence as well as his afterglow. He closed his eyes and listened to Lee’s breaths.

 

* * *

 

“Gaara!” Choji called, jogging to the redhead across the roof. Gaara looked up at him sharply, alarmed by the tone in Choji’s voice.

 

It was nearing evening time, with the sun crawling down one side of the sky. Gaara was standing watch at the east building they had built on the mountain monument bordering Konoha, dealing with the uncommon zombie that found its way up the slope.

 

Gaara stood, gripping his sniper rifle tightly and meeting Choji halfway across the roof. He snapped quickly “What happened?”

 

“You need to get back to camp,” Choji said, reaching for the rifle and gesturing with his head toward the woods around them. “The raiding party just got back, and Lee’s hurt. I’m here to cover for you.”

 

In an instant Gaara’s blood was cold in his body, and his mouth became numb and dry. There was a roar in his chest with panic and possessiveness. His eyes narrowed. “Was he bit?”

 

“Someone was, but it wasn’t Lee,” Choji explained with a grimace. “Anko was trapped in a building, and Lee went in after her. She was bit, but Lee tried to pull her out anyway and fell off a fire escape.”

 

Gaara was already halfway across the building, eyes narrowed tight and his fists shaking.

 

* * *

 

“...and I know that you will forever see this experience as a youthful turning point in your life, when you were faced with a decision, both ethical and survival, which you may in fact be forced to face again and again in the future, and you will know what choices make the greatest difference and which you must avoid, for you see that...”

 

Gaara could hear Gai’s voice from the other end of the hall. He grimaced, rubbing an ear and battling the instant headache that always seemed to accompany Lee’s uncle’s boisterous, winded voice. Did the man ever pause for breath? Gaara stepped into a room of the camp clinic where he knew Lee was being taken care of, his chest tight with anxiousness.

 

Lee was sitting up in a narrow bed, and Gaara sighed in relief when he spotted the familiar, adoring smile that his boyfriend always wore when he was receiving a new piece of his uncle’s ‘wisdom.’ When Gaara walked up to the bed however, Lee’s eyes were glassy as they turned to him, and there were bandages wrapped thickly all around his head.

 

“He’s fine,” Sakura declared over Gai’s voice before Gaara could ask. The redhead regarded her with only a sharp glance.

 

“Gaara! I do not know what you heard, but I am okay,” Lee said, reaching out and taking his boyfriend’s hand.

 

“Where are you hurt?” Gaara demanded, touching the bandages around Lee’s hairline. His drew his hand back when Lee winced. Something painful fluttered tight in Gaara’s chest.

 

“He hit his head in the fall and has a mild concussion. There aren’t any other injuries, but he can’t remember what happened.” Sakura handed Lee a compress that she’d pulled from a cooler, and he pressed it against the back of his head with a sheepish expression.

 

“I remember going into the building and finding Anko, but the rest is just a blur,” Lee clarified.

 

“Haven’t you given him something for pain?” Gaara snapped, glaring at Sakura. The woman pursed her lips, her eyes narrowed.

 

“I am okay, Gaara, I just have a headache,” Lee said, which Gaara translated as ‘is in horrible agony,’ knowing Lee.

 

“Gaara, I know you are worried about my precious protege, but he was very fortunate this time. The spirit of youth overwhelmed him unexpectedly when he knew poor Anko was in trouble and-”

 

“Gai,” Gaara interrupted abruptly. Lee squeezed his hand, reminding him to keep his manners. Gaara’s expression didn’t waver, but his voice lowered. “I want to speak to Lee alone now.”

 

Gaara  leveled a glare at Sakura as well. She stared back stubbornly. “Lee is my patient, and he’s just suffered head trauma, even if it’s just a mild concussion. It’s important that I watch him closely for signs of brain hem-”

 

“Sakura, it is okay,” Lee leaned forward in the bed and gave the woman a small smile, darting his eyes toward the door. “I need to talk to Gaara.”

 

She opened her mouth as though she wanted to argue more, but seemed to change her mind with an irritated clench of her jaw. She stood and walked out the door without another word.

 

“I will be right outside if either of you need me!” Gai informed them as he followed after.

 

Gaara sighed when they were finally gone, and squeezed Lee’s hand tighter.

 

“I am so sorry I worried you, Gaara,” Lee said earnestly, shifting the cold compress against his head.

 

“How do you _really_ feel? How hurt are you?” Gaara asked, watching his boyfriend’s face closely. Lee’s eyes still had a dazed, somewhat glassy appearance despite the alertness in his voice.

 

“Just... groggy. And sore. But that really is all.”

 

“You should have left Anko behind.” Gaara’s green eyes were hard and glittering.

 

“You know I could not do that.”

 

“She was already infected. Trying to save her was pointless.”

 

“She was still herself when I found her. She wanted to say goodbye to everyone.” Gaara watched Lee lean back against the bed-frame with a painful grimace.

 

“If that’s the case, she was being selfish. You should have focused on saving yourself, instead of getting hurt.”

 

“I cannot change what happened now, Gaara.”

 

“But will you act differently if this happens again? It could be someone else next time.”

 

Lee frowned and looked down at the bedspread. Gaara knew the answer through his boyfriend’s silence. He let go of Lee’s hand and crossed his arms tightly.

 

“You need to think about yourself, Lee. Do it for my sake, if you can’t do it for your own. How are you supposed to keep your promise about always being there for me, if you keep putting yourself in needless danger? Raiding and mission dangers are one thing, but going into a building to save someone who was already trapped and infected is suicide.”

 

Lee looked up, his eyes hurt as his brows pulled together. The grip on his compress tightened. “Gaara, I could not turn my back on her. It would have been wrong. Anko has been one of my raid partners almost every day since we arrived in Konoha. I did not want her to die alone.”

 

Gaara’s grip on his arms tightened in pain as some unwanted nostalgia visited him; Tenten’s face and her final moments; Shino’s run to draw the zombies away after he was infected; the car ride to Konoha, waiting and watching for the signs to appear in Kiba, but praying they wouldn’t. Gaara shook his head.

 

“I just want you to stay alive, Lee. That’s what’s most important.”

 

“I know, Gaara,” Lee sighed. He bent his legs under the thin blankets and leaned against his knees with a thoughtful frown. “Maybe we just need some time to breathe and think about this. I am still woozy right now, and I want to talk more when my head is clear again.”

 

Gaara pursed his lips, but nodded. If Lee was admitting to not feeling well, instead of leaping from the bed and insisting on running laps or something equally ridiculous, he really must be in pain. Gaara didn’t think that his position on the matter would change, but he could see the wisdom in letting Lee’s head heal before confronting him again. Maybe he would be able to focus later, and even change his mind.

 

It was unlikely, but it wasn’t impossible.

 

“Is there anything I can do for you?” Gaara asked, sighing and touching Lee’s shoulder in assessment. His heart still thumped painfully with leftover adrenalin from the rush he’d had knowing that Lee was hurt.

 

“Maybe you can bring me my martial arts book from our room?” Lee suggested, smiling softly at Gaara’s concern. “Sakura said I have to stay here for the night to make sure I do not have a... hematoma? I think that is what she called it, but my memory still feels clouded. I am going to be here for a while.”

 

Gaara nodded, squeezing Lee’s shoulder once and turning toward the door. He passed Gai and Sakura in the hall, and managed to dignify them each with a nod. Gai gave him a thumbs up and a reassuring smile, but Sakura pretended she couldn’t see him.

 

As Gaara stepped out the front doors of the clinic, he heard a few voices at the far edge of the building. He squinted, and made out Lee’s raiding party, gathered in a tight circle. It was only when Gaara spotted the blood-stained sheet wrapped around a long figure on the ground, that he realized they were laying flowers across Anko’s body.

 

Gaara took a breath and focused on the walk to his and Lee’s rooms.

 

* * *

 

“... Hey,” Lee murmured, putting a hand on Gaara’s hip. The stars over the rooftop were brilliant tonight, gleaming enough to distract from the full, pale moon. The summer air was cool on Gaara’s cheeks and in his slow breath. He turned his gaze toward his boyfriend, one arm behind his head and the other under their blanket. Lee rolled onto his side, subtly touching the edge of Gaara’s waist with his knuckles.

 

“Are you still mad at me?” Lee asked quietly.

 

Gaara’s brows pulled together and he sighed silently. Lee could never stand tension between them for long after they argued, even if he still stubbornly thought he was right.

 

“... Yes. I am. Not as much, though.”

 

“Would it help if I apologized again for worrying you?”

 

“No, because you would still do it again.” Gaara pursed his lips as he examined the unhappy expression in Lee’s round eyes, and took the man’s hand under the blanket. Lee seemed to relax at the touch, his pout lessening. “If I were trapped in a burning building, or surrounded from every side by hordes of zombies, completely alone, what would you do?”

 

“I would try to save you. I love you, Gaara,” Lee replied immediately, squeezing Gaara’s fingers in his.

 

“I wouldn’t want you to do that. If that ever happens to me, I want you to save yourself and keep living here with the others, where you are safe.”

 

The edge of Lee’s mouth seemed to quirk up. “If I were trapped on the top floor of a twenty story building, which was going to collapse any moment, which was filled with hundreds of flaming zombies, on the other side of Konoha, with demons guarding every entrance, would you still try to save me?”

 

Gaara’s gaze became a narrow glare. They both knew the answer to that.

 

“That has nothing to do with Anko. You weren’t in love with her. She isn’t worth the same.” The words sounded more cruel and bitter than Gaara had intended, and the way Lee closed his eyes slowly showed that Lee had heard it that way, too. Gaara’s chest suddenly hurt, but he didn’t know how to take his words back.

 

Lee leaned down, pressing his forehead against Gaara’s shoulder. His bangs fell like a dark silk curtain, hiding his face. Gaara wrapped his arms around Lee’s shoulders, holding him close and pressing his lips into Lee’s hair. Lee was shaking.

 

Gaara’s expression crumpled. No matter what, Anko was still Lee’s friend and his raid partner. Lee would do anything to save his friends, even if he knew it was hopeless. In fact, it was Lee’s bravery and strong morals which Gaara valued about his boyfriend.

 

“I’m sorry. I won’t bring it up again,” Gaara murmured, squeezing tighter. His throat tightened, and his shoulder felt damp under Lee’s face. “Don’t ever change, Lee. Don’t ever let me change you.”

 

* * *

 

“They can’t see us,” Gaara hissed as he pulled back from the window. He was in a tall abandoned office building in East Konoha, and had gotten separated from his scout group with Udon. The boy was leaning against the wall next to Gaara, breathing heavy and fumbling a rag he kept in his pocket to wipe his nose. Gaara had tried to signal to the group several streets away, but they seemed oblivious to his efforts with mirrors, his waving arms, and even bright colored stacks of papers he’d been tossing out the window to catch their eye. Shouting would be useless from this distance, and it would only attract the small horde that filled the street between them.

 

“Are you sick? What’s wrong?” Gaara asked with a flash of his eyes when Udon’s breathing grew louder, and he seemed to be sweating. Gaara stepped closer, assessing the boy quickly. “Did you get cut? Bitten?”

 

“N-no,” Udon wheezed, shaking his head quickly with wide eyes. He wiped at his glasses, smearing dust that seemed to cling to them from the room. His voice was peppered with desperate gasping between heaving words. “I- I th-think I am-” _gasp_ , “-h-having an asthma attack. I’m sorry. It isn’t u- usually a-” _gasp_ , “- p- problem, but my inhaler is em-” _gasp_ , “- em- empty.”

 

Gaara stepped back and narrowed his eyes at the boy. Udon was leaning forward with one hand over the center of his chest, rocking with his effort to breathe, and his pulse was visible and fast along his throat. Gaara didn’t know what to expect from an asthma attack, but these weren’t _quite_ typical symptoms for an infected person. Yet.

 

“What will make it stop?” Gaara asked. His eyes narrowed, but he was willing to help if asthma was the problem.

 

“Just-” _gasp_ , “-getting o-out of h-here,” Udon wheezed. His jaw dropped as he tried breathing through his mouth. “The dust is- m- making it-” _gasp_ , “- worse-”

 

Gaara took Udon’s arm and pulled him out of the room, taking him down the hall to the stairwell. The steps creaked under their feet, old and worn from water and debris through broken windows. One section of the stairwell had a hole in it, as though something heavy had dropped through.

 

If they could get onto the roof, it would give the teenager some fresh air, and they might find a way to signal from there. They needed help to lure the zombies outside away from the building so that they could get out. They had no exit at the moment.

 

When they were only a couple levels away from the roof, Gaara and Udon suddenly froze. There was the sound of moaning coming from above, and the shuffling creak of dead footsteps. The building wasn’t completely abandoned after all. Gaara put a finger to his lips and began to inch backward, but they were already too late. Udon couldn’t stop his loud wheezing, though his eyes were round with horror at himself and he seemed to be struggling to hold his breath.

 

A black, rotting face appeared along the edge of the guard rail above, facing them. A long, drawn out moan make Gaara’s skin crawl sickly, and he could hear the shuffling of several other dead moving toward the stairs to investigate.

 

“Run, go down to where we were and lock yourself in. I’ll take care of them.” Gaara pulled a golf club out from the carrier on his back, gesturing Udon down the stairs. The teenager nodded frantically, sniffling and wheezing into his pocket cloth as he stumbled back the way they’d come. Gaara waited for the zombies to come to him on the landing, vexed that they had the higher ground. He swung his club at the first who had initially spotted them, and felt the sick cracking of bone as he broke through its skull and impacted the brain.

 

Another came down, a woman in heels with broken ankles, who was falling down the stairs more than she was crawling. Her face and throat were drenched in the blood of a victim she’d bitten, and her hair was still tied back in a professional bun. Gaara broke her spinal column, and stepped over her to reach a short man in a suit that came immediately after. The smell that wafted from the bodies made the redhead wrinkle his nose and hold his gag reflex back by sheer will, his stomach coiling and his eyes wide with adrenaline as he swung again and again.

 

They didn’t stop coming. Gaara had to have killed ten already, and had to move down a level to stand clear of the piling bodies in the narrow stairwell. That was too many for a building like this, it didn’t make sense. Where were they all coming from? Thick blood, so old and clotted that it was almost black, dripped down the worn wooden stairs. Gaara made a gagging sound as a man stumbled down toward him with several chords of intestine dangling from a wound in the front of his body. It was putrid.

 

Gaara suddenly looked back as a familiar wheezing sound reached his ears, louder than ever and interrupted by short, choking silences. He spotted the hole in the stairwell that they’d passed on the way up, and just beyond it Udon was stuck up to his waist in a new hole, bent over and shaking as he tried to breathe.

 

“What are you doing?” Gaara snapped. He jolted and swung his club as another business woman moaned and tried to throw herself down on him, almost succeeding before he jammed the end of his club into her blackened eye socket and twisted, making her body twitch and writhe for a few disgusting seconds before she stopped moving. Gaara was angry that he’d let himself be distracted.

 

There was a short lull in the flow of zombies, a pause in the space between pursuing bodies and the last one he’d killed, but he could hear more coming. He rushed down to crouch next to Udon, careful of the fragile sections of floor that seemed to threaten collapse.

 

“Wrap your arm around my shoulders,” Gaara instructed, grabbing the teenager around his ribs and trying to pull him out of the hole. They both strained together, but Udon’s leg seemed to be caught on something. The tight pulling motion was making the boy emit an alarming whine. It sounded like his breath was being squeezed out of him. Gaara ducked down and looked the teenager in the face. “What are you stuck on? Can you get out?”

 

Udon’s lips moved as if he were trying to talk, but he had so little breath that he couldn’t even snivel from his allergies. His face was red, and he was swaying like he was going to pass out. His eyes watered behind his glasses, and he finally shook his head. His expression was hazy, on the cusp of losing consciousness, but there was also a miserable horror there as he realized his position and the moans above grew louder. Gaara watched him closely with narrowed eyes, until finally the teenager waved Gaara ahead, motioning that he should leave. Without him.

 

Gaara pursed his lips and stood, starting to back down the stairwell. There was nothing he could do. He only had seconds until the rest of the horde came down the stairs, and he couldn’t fight them off if he was trying to protect Udon at the same time. Besides that, the boy was having some kind of medical fit, from his allergies and asthma, and even if he wasn’t stuck he might have stopped breathing and passed out. Even if _that_ didn’t happen, Gaara was still suspicious that he could be infected from a cut or nip he hadn’t noticed. Gaara couldn’t save Udon. He had to think about his own survival.

 

Lee’s face appeared in Gaara’s mind at that moment. Gaara could see his warm, round eyes, Lee’s toothy grin, and the frame of silky black hair above his face. Gaara’s lips pursed, his eyes grew frantic, as he remembered each of the many times Lee had explained his optimistic morals to his boyfriend, talking about hope and youth and protecting each other at all costs.

 

Gaara whipped around with a growl as another moan sounded and the next zombie turned down the stairs toward them. Gaara tightened his grip on his club.

 

* * *

 

Lee was sitting in the camp cafeteria with his uncle when he got the news that Gaara’s scouting group had returned, and that neither Gaara nor Udon was with them. By the time the group had gone back out with better search equipment, Lee was frantic. He tried to go with them, getting suited up and wielding his bat with a hard expression, but Gai held him back when Sakura declared that he wasn’t recovered enough yet to go on a strenuous mission. When the search party returned successfully just over an hour later, Lee rushed to meet them at the clinic.

 

“Gaara!” Lee called ahead as he pushed past a couple people hovering in the clinic entrance. The redhead was sitting on a chair in the waiting room, and the sight of him made Lee’s chest relax in relief for the first time since he’d heard his boyfriend was missing. He dove for the other man and wrapped his arms around Gaara’s shoulders tightly. “I am so glad you are alright! What happened? You were separated, and they could not find you at all! Are you okay?”

 

“You’re getting dirty,” Gaara said, having to tilt his face away from his boyfriend’s shoulder to breathe. He touched Lee’s waist in return for the hug, but Lee realized in the next second why Gaara was holding back. The redhead was covered in old, rotting blood. Lee pulled away with a frown when the smell finally hit him, but his brows stayed furrowed in concern.

 

“Are you okay?” he asked seriously. “What happened?”

 

“We got separated,” Gaara explained. His deep voice was tired and dragging, and the dark circles under his eyes seemed deeper than they had been in a long time. “They went one way, we went another, and when we tried to meet back up we couldn’t find a route. Udon and I were in the office building in East Konoha, when he had an asthma attack and eventually passed out. A horde from the top floors of the building found us.”

 

Lee’s dark brows pulled together and his jaw dropped with a small gasp. His forehead wrinkled and he shook his head a little, lips pulled down. “Gaara, that... I am sorry. Did you... did Udon...?”

 

“Gaara?”

 

Lee looked up as he heard Moegi’s soft voice. She was dressed in the clean, loose clothes Sakura had given her to wear while on clinic duty. Moegi was carrying a few white flowers as she approached from the hallway, and her eyes were watery. Lee’s stomach dropped sickly with dread.

 

She stopped in front of them, her eyes on Gaara’s shoulder instead of his face. She rubbed the corner of her red eye and sniffled. Lee jumped a little in surprise as she abruptly stuffed the flowers into Gaara’s filthy, bloody hands with a muttered, “Thank you!” She turned and hurried back down the hall before either of the men could comment.

 

“...he is okay?” Lee asked, awed as he looked at his boyfriend. “Udon is still alive?”

 

Gaara nodded, and looked down at the ruffled flowers in his hands thoughtfully. “I was going to leave him... but I was sure you would hate me if I did.”

 

“Gaara...” Lee wrapped his arms around Gaara’s shoulders again, squeezing him tightly despite the soft grunt of surprise from the redhead. Lee’s eyes watered with emotion, touched. “I would not have hated you. I would have been thankful you made it home alive, no matter what. I love you so much...”

 

Lee felt Gaara’s body barely relax with a soft sigh. He muttered something.

 

“Hm?” Lee asked, leaning back a little.

 

“I said, I need to wash, and get a change of clothes,” Gaara repeated. His narrowed eyes lifted from the flowers to Lee’s face, contemplative and serious. “Then I’m going to discuss signalling methods with my raid party, so this won’t happen again. And I have new information to put on our Konoha map about horde migrations in the city.”

 

“Okay,” Lee said, letting go and taking a step back. He smiled with admiration at his boyfriend. “I will not keep you.”

 

“You need a change of clothes, too,” Gaara commented as he started toward the front clinic door. “You’re dirty from hugging me.”

 

“That is true.” Lee followed, glancing down at himself and nodding in agreement.

 

“And you can have these,” Gaara held out the flowers with one hand as he stepped outside, without looking.

 

“I will put them in a cup in our room,” Lee decided.

 

“Don’t use too much water for them. They’ll die either way.”

 

“That is okay. They’re pretty for now.” Lee was smiling as he followed his boyfriend through the camp, cradling the flowers carefully. A few people glanced at the messy, battle-evident state Gaara was in, but no one questioned it. Lee spoke up when they were almost to their rooms, “I am going to kiss you, when the blood is gone from your face.”

 

Gaara glanced over his shoulder. If it weren’t for the filth all over his skin, his cheeks would have seemed pink. He looked ahead, but said softly, “I love you, too, Lee.”

 

 


End file.
